835 


T  H  li 


ITS  CAUSES; 


OR, 

THE. UTAH  CONSPIRACY, 

A  LKOTUUE  IJY 
JOHN     NICHOLSON, 

DELIVERED    IN    THE   SALT   LAKE    THEATRE, 
ON  MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  22,  1884. 

STENOGRAPHIC-ALLY  REPORTED  BY  JOHN  IRVINE. 


T  TED    AT    JTJ^AJErvrXI^E     I2SrSTK,XJOrJ'03R. 

SALT    LAKE    CITY,    UTAH. 

1884. 


THE 


AND 


ITS  CAUSES; 

OR, 

THE  UTAH  CONSPIRACY, 

A  LECTURE  BY 
JOHN    NIG  HOI-SON, /&  3?  ~ 

l^ctf 

DELIVERED    IN    THE    HALT   LAKE    THEATRE', 

ON  MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  22,  1884. 


STENOGRAPHICALLY  REPORTED  BY  JOHN  IRVINE. 


.A.T    JTJ'VElKriL.EJ     I^rSTnTJOT 

SALT    LAKE    CITY,    UTAH. 
1884. 


2/'«hr«r 


OFT 
JVRY 


INTRODUCTORY. 


THE  circumstances  which  led  to  the  giving  of  this  lecture 
in  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre  are  as  follows: 

Mr.  Nicholson,  by  special  request  of  Bishop  EL  B.  Clawson, 
delivered  an  address  under  a  similar  title  in  the  Twelfth  Ward 
Assembly  Rooms,  on  the  14th  of  September,  1884.  The 
impression  created  by  it  was  such  as  to  result  in  the  annex*  d 
correspondence: 

SALT  LAKE  CITY, 

September  17,  188  J. 
John  Nicholson,  Esq., 

DEAR  SIR: — The  address  delivered  by  you  on  the  14th 
inst  ,  in  the  Twelfth  Ward  Assembly  Kooms.  on  the  subject  of 
the  recent  massacre  of  "Mormon"  llders  in  Tennessee,  and  the 
causes  whinh  led  to  that  fearful  tragedy,  having  created  a  deep 
interest  in  the  community,  and  a  desire  on  the  part  of  very  many 
who  were  prevented  from  being  present  upon  that  occasion  to 
hear  the  facts  you  have  in  your  possession,  we,  the  undersigned, 
being  of  the  opinion  that  a  more  widespread  understanding  of 
the  circumstances  which  surround  this  tragedy,  and  which  led 
to  its  perpetration  will  be  of  public  benefit,  respectfully  request 
that  you  repeat  the  lecture,  or  deliver  ore  of  a  similar  nature  at 
as  early  a  date  as  will  be  convenient  to  you. 

Upon  receiving  an  intimation  from  you  that  a  compliance  with 
our  request  will  be  agreeable  to  you,  and  the  date  that  will  be 
convenient  to  you  to  give  the  lecture,  we  will  take  the  necessary 
steps  to  secure  a  larger  building  than  the  Twelfth  Ward  Assem- 
bly Kooms,  and  to  give  suitable  notice  to  the  public. 

Very  respectfully, 

Wm.  Jennings,  Theo.  McKean,  A.  Miner,  Francis  Cope,  Geo. 
Swan,  Heber  M.  Wells,  James  Dunn,  H.  Dinwoodey,  G.  M. 
Ottinger,  S.  W.  Sears,  David  James,  G.  E.  Bourne,  John  Clark, 
Elias  Morris,  Thos.  G.  Webber  and  others. 


IN  TROD  UCTORY. 


THE  RESPONSE. 

To  the  Hon.    Wm.  Jennings  and  others. 

GENTLEMEN: — In  response  to  your  request  that  I 
should  deliver,  in  some  large  hall  to  be  secured  by  you  for  the 
purpose,  an  address  similar  to  that  lately  given  in  the  Twelfth 
Ward  Assembly  Rooms-,  I  have  to  say  that,  although  personally 
reluctant  to  place  myself  so  conspicuously  before  the  public,  I 
will  endeavor  to  comply  with  your  wish.  I  suggest  Monday 
night,  .Sept.  22nd,  as  suitable  for  the  occasion,  if  that  time  is 
agreeable  with  your  convenience. 

Yours  respectfully, 

JOHN  NICHOLSON. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Sept.  17th,  1884. 


SALT  LAKE  CITY, 

September  18,  1884. 
John  Nicholson,  Esq., 

DEAR  SIR: — Referring  to  your  response  of  yesterday, 
wherein  you  express  a  willingness  to  repeat  your  lecture  on  the 
"Tennessee  Massacre  and  Causes  Leading  Thereto,"  or  one  of  a 
similar  nature,  the  business  of  securing  a  suitable  hall  having 
been  considered,  we  beg  to  state  that  we  have  obtained  the  Salt 
Lake  Theatre  for  Monday  evening,  Sept.  22nd,  for  that  purpose. 

Very  respectfully, 

William  Jennings,  H.  Dinwoodey,  David  James,  Thomas  G. 
Webber,  A.  Miner,  John  Clark  and  others. 

THE  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  THEATRE. 

The  appearance  of  the  Theatre  on  the  occasion  is  thus 
described  by  Mr.  0.  F.  Whitney,  of  the  JJeserct  News: 

"Probably  the  most  densely  packed  audience  ever  within  the 
walls  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre,  was  seen  there  last  evening  at 
the  lecture  of  Mr.  John  Nicholson  on  the  'Tennessee  Massa- 
cre and  its  Causes.'  The  doors  were  thrown  open  at  7  o'clock, 
as  announced,  and  an  eager  multitude  at  once  thronged  into 
the  building.  By  the  time  the  lecture  was  to  begin,  8  o'clock, 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  was  not  a  seat  left  untaken,  and 
hundreds  were  standing  up,  not  alone  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
house,  but  in  every  circle  as  well.  It  was  truly  a  magnificent 
sight. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


"Nor  did  the  stage  present  a  less  splendid  appearance.  As 
soon  as  the  curtain  rose,  as  it  did  promptly  on  the  hour,  it  was 
discovered  that  there  was  a  second  audience  facing  the  one 
which  crammed  the  auditorium.  Manager  Clawson,  who  is  an 
adept  at  such  things,  had  caused  the  whole  stage  to  be  shut  in, 
with  the  exception  of  entrances  at  the  wings  and  rear,  with 
handsome  scenery,  while  the  entire  avai!able  space  was  fi'led 
with  chairs,  all  of  them  taken,  and  many  more  would-be  occu- 
pants left  standing.  No  less  than  three  or  four  hundred  peo- 
ple were  on  the  stage  alone.  The  surprise  awakened  at  the 
sight  found  vent  in  a  burst  of  applause  from  those  in  front. 
Before  this,  however,  the  Theatre  Orchestra,  under  Professor 
Thomas,  who  were  in  their  accustomed  place,  had  rendered 
some  nice  selections,  and  the  Sixteenth  Ward  Band,  in  full 
uniform,  upon  the  stage,  between  the  curtain  and  footlights, 
had  supplemented  the  same  with  repeated  executions  in  like 
excellent  style. ' ' 

HON.  WILLIAM  JENNIMJS 

then  approached  the  footlights  and  said:  Ladies  and 
gentlemen:  before  introducing  the  lecturer,  I  would  like  to 
say  that  there  has  been  a  report  on  the  street  this-  afternoon 
that  there  would  be  a  cry  of  fire  made  here  to  night,  to  dis- 
turb this  audience.  If  such  a  thing  should  occur  as  a  cry  of 
fire,  I  hope  you  will  take  no  notice  of  it,  but  keep  your  seats 
and  all  will  be  right. 

I  take  pleasure,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  in  introducing  to  you 
Mr.  John  Nicholson,  who  will  lecture  upon  'The  Tennessee 
Massacre  and  Its  Causes."     [Applause.] 
MR.  NICHOLSON 

stepped  forward  and  was  received  with  loud  applause.  He 
then  delivered  the  following 

LECTURE. 


STENOGRAPHIC  ALLY  REPOUTKI)   BY  JNO.    IRVINE. 


Mr.    Chairman,  ladies  and  gentlemen:  the  chairman  has 
already  announced  the  subject  upon  which  I  propose  to  treat; 


THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 


therefore,  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  repeat  it.  As  you  may 
well  suppo  e,  it  is  no  small  matter  for  a  man  to  occupy  the 
position  that  I  do  to-night  before  this  vast  audience.  I  trust 
that  you  will  bear  with  me  in  patience  until  I  shall  concentrate 
my  thoughts  upon  the  task  that  lies  before  me. 

The  subject,  you  will  at  once  admit,  is  one  of  absorbing 
interest,  not  only  to  this  community  of  which  we  form  a  part, 
but  it  has  created  an  interest  all  over  this  nation  and  many 
other  paris  of  the  world  besides.  Perhaps  before  proceeding 
to  the  discussion  of  the  causes  that  produced  the  horrible 
massacre  which  sent  a  thrill  through  this  entire  community, 
and  also  caused  a  feeling  of  regret  among  all  good  and  upright 
people  who  have  learned  the  details  of  the  murder — it  would 
be  well,  in  the  first  place,  to  give  a  brief 

NARRATIVE   OF  THE  TRAGE1>Y 

itself.  As  is  the  custom  with  the  Elders  of  the  "Mormon" 
Church,  Elders  W.  S.  B^rry  and  Henry  Thompson,  who  were 
laboring  as  missionaries  in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  more 
especially  in  Lewis  County  of  that  State,  made  an  appoint- 
ment to  hold  a  meeting  and  preach  their  views  to  the  people. 
That  meeting  was  appointed  for  11  o'clock,  on  the  10th  day  of 
August,  1884,  at  the  house  of  James  Condor,  on  Cane  Cieek, 
Lewis  County,  Tennessee.  A  short  time  previous  to  the  filling 
of  that  appointment,  the  Elders  whom  I  have  Lamed  were 
unexpectedly  joined  by  two  others,  Elders  John  H.  Gibbs 
and  William  H.  Jones.  On  ihe  day  appointed,  three  of  the 
Elders — with  Elder  Jones  excepted,  he  being  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Garrett,  a  t-hort  distance  from  the  Condor  farm — 
assembled  at  Mr.  Condor's  habitation  and  engaged  in  prelimi- 
nary exercises,  such  as  the  singing  of  r  ligious  hymns  and 
preparing  their  minds  for  the  devotions  in  which  they  were 
shortly  to  engage. 

Elder  Jones,  at  Mr.  Garrett' s  house,  wa?  engaged  in  read- 
ing a  discourse  of  one  of  the  authorities  of  the  "Mormon" 
Church,  for  the  instruction  and  edification  of  a  number  of 
people  who  had  assembled  there.  After  he  had  concluded 
this,  he  immediately  started  on  his  way  to  join  the  others 


AND  ITS  CAUSES. 


who  were  at  Condor's;  but  while  he  was  traversing  that  short 
distance,  suddenly  a  mob  of  men,  in  fantastic  garbs  and 
masked  faces,  and  armed  and  equipped  with  deadly  weapons 
for  the  commission  of  violence,  rushed  upon  him  and  made 
him  a  prisoner.  Suffice  it  to  say,  without  entering  into  the 
details  >o  far  as  he  is  concerned,  for  you  are  more  or  less 
familiar  with  them,  he  was  left  in  charge  of  one  of  this 
armed  party,  and  that  guard  that  was  left  over  him  received 
instructions  from  his  brother  mobocrats  that  he  should,  on  the 
first  intimation  of  any  attempt  to  escape,  shoot  him  down  like 
a  dog — that  he  should  be  murdered.  You  are  already  aware 
that  Elder  Jones,  by  the  consent  and  connivance  of  his  guard, 
escaped  and  survives,  and  has  returned  to  his  home  and  his 
friends  in  Utah. 

On  leaving  Elder  Jones,  the  mob  proceeded  to  the  house 
of  Mr.  Condor.  They  found  the  proprietor  of  the  place  stand- 
ing by  the  gate.  They  made  him  a  prisoner.  James  Condor 
knew  the  business  of  that  mob  who  had  come  with  covered 
faces  armed  to  the  teeth.  He  knew  that  they  had  come  to 
take  the  lives  of  the  Elders  from  Utah,  and  in  order  that 
these  Elders  might  be  defended  he  called  to  his  boys  who 
were  in  the  garden — his  son  and  step-son — to  go  and  get  their 
guns  to  defend  the  lives  of  these  men  who  were  under  his 
protection  because  under  his  roof.  After  the  seizure  of  James 
Condor,  David  Hinson,  who  appeared  to  be  the  leader  of  the 
mob,  entered  the  house  where  Elder  Gibbs  was  engaged  in 
selecting  texts  of  scripture  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  him 
to  preach  the  doctrines  that  are  taught  in  the  Bible.  He  took 
a  gun  that  was  hanging  upon  the  hooks  down  from  over  the 
back  door,  and  with  that  weapon,  in  cold  blood,  shot  Elder 
Gibbs  down — murdered  him  !  Next  this  deadly  weapon  was 
presented  at  Henry  Thompson,  whose  life  he  also  sought. 
Elder  Berry  being  close  at  hand — a  man  of  indomitable 
courage  and  powerful  nerve — desirous  of  saving  his  brother, 
seized  the  weapon  and  held  it  as  if  it  were  in  the  grip  of  a 
vise,  and  turned  it  away  from  the  person  of  his  fellow  mis- 
sionary. At  the  same  moment  Elder  Berry  observed  others 
oi  the  mobocrats  enter  the  front  door  with  their  weapons 


8  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

leveled  upon  him,  and  when  he  saw  that,  and  feeling  that 
his  doom  was  sealed,  he  simply  bowed  his  head  and  received 
the  bullets  of  the  assassins  in  his  body  and  fell  dead  at  their 
feet.  Elder  Thompson  saw  that  to  remain  longer  was  to 
needlessly  sacrifice  another  life,  and  therefore  he  made  his 
escape.  As  he  passed  out  of  the  house  and  was  leaving  it  his 
life  would  have  been  taken  also,  only  there  intervened  betwixt 
him  and  the  would-be  assassin  the  person  of  a  lady  who 
passed  out  of  the  house  and  was  about  to  lift  her  child  from 
the  ground,  and  Elder  Thompson  escaped  to  the  woods.  In 
the  meantime,  Martin  Condor,  the  son  of  James  Condor, 
entered  the  house  and  engaged  in  a  struggle  with  David  Hin- 
son  for  the  possession  of  the  weapon  that  he  held,  and  while 
engaged  in  this  struggle  some  other  members  of  the  mob  shot 
him  down  and  murdered  him.  In  the  meantime,  J.  R.  Hud- 
son, the  step-son  of  James  Condor,  entered  and  leaped  up  into 
the  loft  of  the  house  to  procure  a  gun,  and  descended  as  quick 
as  thought,  almost.  He  was  seized  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  by 
two  of  the  murderous  ruffians  but  tearing  himself  loose  he 
shot  and  killed  David  Hinson,  and  then  he  in  turn  was  slain 
also,  making  five  dead  men,  four  whose  blood  was  guiltless, 
and  one  of  the  guilty  murderers,  who  went  into  eternity  with 
the  blood  of  innocence  upon  his  hands. 

Not  satisfied  with  their  diabolical  work,  thus  far,  these 
fiends  incarnate,  before  leaving  the  premises,  as  an  after-piece 
to  the  tragedy,  poured  a  volley  through  the  window,  a  number 
of  the  missiles  of  death  entering  and  severely  wounding  the 
person  of  an  innocent  woman,  Mrs.  Condor,  the  mother  of  the 
two  murdered  boys,  and  the  balance  of  the  bullets  entered  the 
dead  body  of  W.  S.  Berry. 

A  CONSPIRACY  IN   UTAH. 

You  will  agree  with  me  that  this  was  horrible  work,  and 
that  those  upon  whom  rests  any  degree  of  responsibility  for 
its  consummation  have  a  great  deal  to  answer  for.  It  is  my 
purpose  to  show  where  at  least  a  portion  of  that  responsibility 
lies.  I  think  before  we  get  through  to-night,  that  it  will  be 
clearly  shown  that  there  exists  in  Utah,  a  conspiracy  against 


AND  ITS  CAUSES. 


the  peace,  and  good  order,  and  well-being  of  the  great  majority 
of  the  people  who  inhabit  this  fair  Territory,  and  that  that 
conspiracy  has  its  headquarters  in  Salt  Lake  City.  I  propose 
to  give  you  the  evidence,  and  I  do  not  propose  to  be  one  sided 
in  its  production,  for  the  conspirators  shall  furnish  it  them- 
selves. „ 

On  the  7th  day  of  May,  1882,  in  the  Methodist  Church  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  I  attended  a  meeting.  It  was  a  gathering  of 
rather  an  unusual  character.  It  was  one  among  ten  thousand 
meetings;  so  the  presiding  genius  there — the  Rev.  L.  A. 
Rudisill —  stated;  for  that  particular  7th  day  of  May,  1882, 
had  been  set  aside  and  consecrated  for  the  purpose  of  working 
up  a  prejudice  against  the  "Mormon"  community — of  inflam- 
ing the  minds  of  the  people  of  this  nation  against  an  innocent 
people  who  dwell  in  this  Territory. 

But  I  wish  you  to  understand  that  it  was  not  altogether  or 
purely  a  religious  meeting.  It  was  also  political.  There  is  a 
great  deal  said  in  this  community,  by  certain  parties,  about 
the  amalgamation  of  church  and  state.  It  is  very  objection- 
able to  them,  except,  of  course,  when  they  engage  in  it  them- 
selves; then  it  is  perfectly  right.  The  conspiracy  to  which  I 
now  allude,  is  not  only  of  a  religious  character,  but  also  polit- 
ical. There  was  there  in  all  his  bloom,  His  Excellency, 
Governor  Eli  H.  Murray,  Judge  John  R.  McBride,  Judge 
Jacob  S.  Boreman,  and  Mr.  J.  F.  Bradley.  They  represented, 
in  that  particular  instance:  the  political  wing  of  the  conspir- 
acy— Mr.  Rudisill  and  his  co-religionist  associates  the  religious 
wing. 

In  speaking  to  the  audience  assembled  on  that  occasion, 
Mr.  Rudisill  stated  that  the  Methodists  had  always  occupied 
the  front  rank  in  opposing  "Mormonism,"  and  that  princi- 
pally through  the  operations  of  that  denomination  of  religion 
Congress  was  compelled  to  pass  the  Edmunds  law.  Note  the 
word  compelled.  My  memory  does  not  fail  me  in  regard  to 
the  details  of  that  meeting.  He  said  compelled.  But  the 
Edmunds  law,  he  said,  was  not  sufficient  for  the  purpose  in 
view. 


10  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

His  Excellency,  the  Governor,  stated  that  the  Edmunds 
law  was  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  but  it  was  far  from  being 
satisfactory. 

Judge  John  R-.  McBride  stated  that  on  that  particular 
occasion  he  felt  as  if  he  was  an  excellent  Methodist.  [Laughter 
and  applause.]  It  is  general  >y  understood  in  the  community 
I  believe,  that  he  is  no  religionist  of  any  kind.  He  has  a 
perfect  right  to  take  that  position,  and  every  man  has  a  right 
of  this  kind,  be  the  position  what  it  may.  But  in  one  par- 
ticular John  R.  McBride  seems  to  conform  somewhat  to 
scriptural  requirements;  for  it  has  been  said  by  Paul  that  we 
should  "be  all  things  to  all  men."  [Applause]  It  appears  that 
this  conspirator  is  willing  to  be  a  devout  Methodist,  or  any- 
thing else,  so  long  as  he  can  accomplish  the  object  nearest 
his  heart — suppression  of  "Mormonism" — [applause]  or  rather 
the  taking  away  of  the  political  power  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
majority  of  the  people  of  Utah,  for  that  is  the  political  part 
of  the  conspiracy.  He  further  s'ated  that  in  order  to  reach 
the  .'"Mormons,"  one  legal  provision,  especially,  should  be 
eliminated  from  the  statute  books — that  provision  which  pre- 
vents a  woman  from  testifying  against  her  husband.  He  also 
had  the  effrontery  in  that  meeting  to  say  that  he  felt  that  he 
would  make  an  excellent  prosecutor  of  the  "Mormon"  Church 
if  he  were  appointed  to  that  office.  [Applause  and  laughter.] 
It  does  not  need  a  very  great  change  to  insert  the  correct  word, 
and  make  it  persecutor  of  the  "Mormon"  Church.  [Laughter]. 

Mr.  Boreman,  or  rather  Judge  Boreman — I  hope  he  will 
pardon  me  for  forgetting  his  title — [laughter  and  applause] 
when  1  consider  how  little  he  is  entitled  to  it,  I  think  it  is 
very  pardonable.  I  cannot  tell  you  very  well  what  Judge 
Boreman  did  say,  it  was  so  absurd.  He  seemed  to  be  in  a 
passion — worked  up  to  a  remarkable  degree.  He  said  some- 
th'ng  about  the  people  who  belonged  to  the  "Mormon" 
Church  in  England  desiring  to  proclaim  Brigham  Young 
king,  and  a  lot  of  nonsense  of  that  kind.  If  anybody  had 
asked  me  what  I  thought  about  his  speech  on  that  occasion 
when  the  religious  and  political'conspirators  met  together,  I 
should  have  been  much  inclined  to  have  given  the  same  des- 


AND  ITS  CAUSES.  11 

cription  (hat  was  given  by  a  student  whrn  he  was  asked  to 
state  his  opinion  of  a  speech  of  a  fellow  student.  He  said  it 
was  "an  heterogeneous,  concatenation  of  extraneous  phraseol- 
ogy." [Laughter  and  applause.! 

Mr.  "Bradley  did  not  make  out  much  better  in  this  con- 
nection than  our  friend,  Mr.  Boreman.  His  speech  was  about 
as  unintelligible;  it  was  not  edifying,  especially  to  me, 
although  1  was  glad  I  was  present  for  your  sakes,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  who  were  not  there,  that  I  might  tell  you  what 
took  place. 

There  are  some  others  whom  I  wish  to  bring  to  your 
attention,  forj  desire  to  show  you  to-night  that  there  has  been 
a  systematic,  determined  purpose  put  in  operation,  to  spread 
through  'this  country,  as  far  as  their  influence  could  reach, 
the  most  infamous,  scandalous  fabrications  that' could  possibly 
be  conceived  in  the  brains  of  human  beings,  that  under  cover 
of  a"  prejudice  thus  created,  the  design*  of  the  conspirators 
might  be  accomplished. 

I  draw  your  attention  to  the  case  of  the  Rev.  R.  G. 
McNiece,  who  is  very  'anxious  about  the  welfare  of  this  com- 
munity ;f  -exceedingly  so.  Not  very  long  since  he  presented  in 
the  Independent,  a  very  influential  journal  published  in  the 
East,  his  views,  or  what  purported  to  be  his  views,  on  the 
"Mormon"  question,  and  you  may  be  sure  he  did  not  wish  to 
paint  the  "Mormon"  community  in  favorable  colors.  He 
wanted  to  make  the  impression  upon  the  country,  through  the 
medium  of  the  Independent,  that  the  "Mormons"  are  a  law- 
less, murderous,  vile  community"  of  wretches,  that  should  not 
be  p  rmitted  to  live.  As  evidence  that  they  should  be  robbed 
of  their  rights,  or  ihat  all  political  power  should  be  taken  away 
from  them,  he  stated  that  his  fellow  religionists  in  Utah  had 
been  placed  in  great  jeopardy  through  the  buildings  that  they 
occupied  and  their  churches  being  stoned  and  set  on  fire,  and 
in  consequence  of  this  the  lives,  these  valuable  lives,  of  him- 
self and  fellow  religionists  had  been  placed  in  jeopardy.  Of 
course  it  was  the  "Mormons"  who  committed  these  out- 
rages. 


12  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

When  his  attention  was  drawn  to  his  perfidy  through  a 
public  journal  of  this  city,  he  cited  a  number  of  alleged 
instances  to  sustain  the  statements  which  he  had  made.  But 
before  I  proceed  any  further,  I  wish  to  say  now  that  his  state- 
ments in  the  Independent  were  endorsed  by  some  of  the 
political  conspirators,  Judge  Rosborough,  Judge  Jacob  S. 
Borernan  and  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Salt  .Lake  Tribune^ 
Colonel  Nelson,  for  the  chief  editor  was  at  that  time  in  Washing- 
ton, supposedly  for  the  purpose,  under  cover  of  the  prejudice 
already  created  against  the  "Mormons,"  of  procuring  legisla- 
tion to  rob  the  "Mormons"  of  their  political  rights.  I  think 
that  any  statement  made  by  the  Rev.  McNiece  certainly  needs 
endorsing  [laughter]  as  I  propose  to  show.  He  cited  as  an 
instance  of  his  truthfulness  that  about  eighteen  months  pre- 
vious, in  the  city  of  Logan,  an  attempt  had  been  made  to 
burn  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  town.  The  facts  in 
regard  to  that  circumstance  were  these  :  On  the  30th  day  of 
November,  1882,  a  church  sociable  was  held  in  that  building, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Parks  presiding,  and  there  broke  in  upon  the 
harmony  of  the  occasion  an  individual  by  the  name  of 
William  Buder,  a  non- "Mormon,"  and  presumably  a  member 
of  the  "liberal"  party.  He  was  in  a  state  of  beastly  intoxica- 
tion. He  desired  to  *be  admitted  into  this  church  sociable, 
and  forced  his  way  into  the  building.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Parks, 
who  seems  to  believe  a  little  in  muscular  Christianity — and  I 
do  not  blame  him — took  him  neck  and  crop  and  bundled  him 
out  [applause]  just  as  he  should  have  done.  But  William 
Buder,  a  non- "Mormon,"  said  to  the  Rev.  Parks,  "I'll  get 
even  with  you."  On  that  same  night,  at  a  late  hour,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  set  the  building  on  fire,  and  the  subse- 
quent investigation,  according  to  all  the  circumstances  discov- 
erable after  a  close  scrutiny,  pointed  to  William  Buder  as  the 
would-be  incendiary.  Mr.  Parks  believed  it  was  William 
Buder,  a  non- "Mormon,"  who  had  sought  in  that  way  to  get 
even  with  him,  and  so  did  everybody  else  familiar  with  the 
facts,  and  I  do  not  know  but  what  Mr.  McNiece  was  just  as 
familiar  with  the  details  as  anybody  else;  presumably  so,  for 
no  honorable  gentleman  will  attempt  to  give  publicity  to  any 


AND  ITS  CAUSES.  13 

important  circumstance  involving  the  good  character  of  his 
fellownien,  unless  he  is  first  satisfied  of  the  truthfulness  of 
his  position  by  a  candid  investigation.  [Applause.]  But  don't 
you  see  that  to  have  stated  that  William  Buder,  a  non-v 'Mor- 
mon," was  the  incendiary  would  have  spoiled  the  object,  for 
the  crime  must  be  placed  upon  the  broad  shoulders  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints?  [Applause,]  It  must  be  shown  that  they 
are  lawless,  and  that  they  threatened  and  endangered  the  lives 
of  these  lambs — in  wolves'  clothing.  [Laughter  and  ap- 
plause. ]  * 

Some  of  the  churches  are  quite  remarkable  for  heroes. 
Perhaps,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  you  are  not  aware  of  the 
heroism  that  has  been  occasionally  exhibited  right  in  your 
midst.  ["No."]  Perhaps  I  might  state  some  instances  of 
such  heroism.  There  was  another  reverend  gentleman,  by 
the  name  of  McMillan,  whose  diocese  was  for  a  time  in  San- 
pete  County,  Utah.  He  was  treated  with  great  consideration 
and  kindness  by  the  people  there.  He  was  given  the  free  use 
of  the  meeting  house  of  the  "Mormons,"  in  the  town  of 
Kphraim,  and  he  was  very  grateful.  You  will  gee  the  char- 
acter of  his  gratitude  at  a  glance  when  I  show  you  how  he 
returned  the  courtesy  shown  him  by  the  savage  "Mormons." 
He  went  back  to  the  East.  What  for?  Because  there  is  more 
than  one  purpose  in  regard  to  the  defamation  of  the  "Mor- 
mon" community.  It  is  naturally  to  be  supposed  that  these 
heroes  shall  make  a  sensational  and- "Mormon"  speech  when 
they  go  East  to  facilitate  the  process  of  passing  around  the 
hat.  Therefore  he  had  to  make  a  hero  of  himself.  He  made 
the  declaration  that  in  the  quiet  town  of  Ephraim,  in  San- 
pete,  this  remarkably  brave  man,  when  he  mounted  the 
rostrum  had  to  take  in  one  hand  a  weapon  of  death — a  re- 
volver— and  the  word  of  the  Lord  in  the  other  [laughter  and 
applause]  to  protect  himself  against  the  lawless  "Mormons" 
who  sought  his  life. 

What  an  absurdity  this  story  bears  on  it  face  when  you  think 
of  it.       When    he  retuined  he  was  met  or  waited  upon  by 

+ See  Appendix. 


14  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

Canute  Petersen,  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Sanpete  County, 
who  spoke  to  him  about  his  misstaternents,  and  pointed  out 
to  him  that  such  fabrications  were  most  infamous.  He  was 
very  sorry.  He  was  humble.  He  w*s  very  meek.  He  said 
he  felt  as  if  he  had  done  wrong,  but  he  would  make  it  right 
just  as  soon  as  it  was  possible.  He  subsequently  paid  another 
visit  to  the  East.  How  did  he  make  it  right?  He  simply 
repeated  his  former  statements  and  added  a  few  more  false- 
hoods to  give  spice  to  his  story,  and  his  speech  was  subse- 
quently published  in  the  Denver  papers. 

But  this  was  a  second-hand  way  of  making  notoriety;  for 
the  Rev.  Lyford,  who  had  officiated  at  Provo,  had  made  him- 
self a  hero  in  the  same  line.  Some  of  you  remember,  per- 
haps, his  remarkable  hairbreadth  escapes;  but  he  always  came 
out  alive  [laughter  and  applause]  and  consequently  his  own 
existence  furnishes  the  best  evidence  of  the  falsity  of  his  state- 
ments. If  that  gentleman  had  dropped  the  latter  jart  of  his 
name  and  left  the  first  two  letters  it  would  have  been  exactly 
in  keeping  with  his  conduct.  [Applause.] 

When  I  was  in  Ogden  in  1881,  on  July  llth  of  that  year, 
a  committee  of  a  Methodist  conference  that  was  held  there 
expressed  their  views  on  the  "Mormon"  question,  and  what 
ought  to  be  done  with  it.  Their  resolutions  were  published  at 
the  time;  they  were  duly  given  to  a  gaping  world  Here  is  an 
extract  from  that  document: 

uMormonism  holds  the  balance  of  power  in  Idaho  and  Ari- 
zona and  menaces  New  Mexico,  Colorado,  Wyoming  and 
Montana.  We  believe  polygamy  is  a  foul  system  of  licen- 
tiousness, practiced  in  the  name  of  religion,  hence  hideous  and 
revolting.  It  should  not  be  reasoned  with,  but  ought  to  be 

STAMPED   OUT." 

Fancy  that!  The  "Mormon"  religion  must  not  be  reasoned 
with.  Do  not  bring  the  magical  touchstone  of  reason  to  bear 
upon  this  question  at  all,  but  apply  the  truly  Christian 
method;  let  it  be  "stamped  out."  [Applause.]  0  what 
a  rarity  in  Christian  charity!  [Applause.]  Only  faccy,  if 
you  can,  the  Savior  of  the  world,  and  those  whom  He  chose 
to  officiate  in  connection  with  Him,  speaking  to  His  disciples 
in  reference  to  the  religions  that  existed  in  that  day,  and  that 


AND  ITS  CAUSES  15 

were  not  similar  to  that  which  He  taught,  telling  them,  "these 
religions  are  wrong,  they  are  not  right;  do  not  reason  with 
them;  they  must  be  'stamped  out.' '  And  yet  these  men  who 
met  together  in  Ogden  and  considered  the  question  of  another 
religion,  take  the  position  that  that  religion,  because  it  does 
not  conform  to  their  ideas,  should  not  be  reasoned  with,  but 
that  it  should  be  "stamped  out."  What  an  outrage  on  com- 
mon sense  and  common  decency !  What  a  parody  on  the 
Christian  religion  are  these  men  and  their  views !  [Applause.] 
They  ako  made  this  political  recommendation: 

1  'Resolved  that  it  is  the  sense  of  this  body  that  the  laws  of 
this  Territory  should  be  made  by  a  council  appointed  by  the 
President  of  the  United  States  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate." 

This  means  that  every  vestige  of  popular  government 
should  be  swept  away  from  this  Territory  and  an  autocracy 
established  in  its  place.  But  you  must  remember  that  they 
are  opposed  to  any  interference  in  any  shape  whatever  of  the 
church  with  the  state  —  except,  of  course,  when  they  do  it 
themselves. 

I  hold  in  my  hand  the  conspirators'  campaign  document, 
UA  Handbook  on  Mormonism,"  it  is  called.  I  call  it  a  pro- 
duction of  diabolism;  for  it  is  filled  with  lies  and  misrepre- 
sentations against  the  "Mormon"  people  and  their  religion 
from  beginning  to  end.  1  will  read  you  one  little  ex- 
tract from  the  bitter  pen  of  Kev.  J.  M.  Coyner.  His 
name  is  suggestive.  As  a  comer  of  falsehoods  he  is  a 
decided  success.  [Applause.]  There  are  many  "Mor- 
mons" present.  Listen  how  this  man  describes  your  re- 
ligion : 

"Mprmonism  is  made  up  of  twenty  parts.  Take  eight  parts 
diabolism,  three  parts  of  animalism  from  the  Mohammedan 
system,  one  part  bigotry  from  old  Judaism,  four  parts  cunning 
and  treachery  from  Jesuitism,  two  parts  Thuggism  from  India 
and  two  parts  Arnoldism,  and  then  shake  the  mixture  over 
the  fires  of  animal  passion,  and  throw  in  the  forms  and  cere- 
monies of  the  Christian  religion,  and  you  will  have  this  system 
in  its  true  component  elements." 

A  professed  Christian  wrote  this,  for  it  is  not  the  policy  of 
men  such  as  he  to  allow  the  "Mormons"  to  describe  their  own 


16  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

religion.  Of  course,  the  Methodists,  the  Presbyterians  and  all 
other  denominations  would  expect  that  it  would  be  the  proper 
thing  to  go  outside  of  themselves,  and  especially  to  their  ene- 
mies, for  a  correct  description  or  explanation  of  their  religious 
tenets  and  views.  Judging  from  the  way  they  treat  the  ''Mor- 
mons, ' '  one  would  suppose  that  that  would  be  their  idea;  to 
be  consistent  it  would. 

But  is  this  campaign  document  altogether  religious?  Not 
by  any  means.  Do  not  make  a  mistake  by  supposing  so;  for 
wherever  you  find  the  religious  wing  of  the  Utah  conspiracy, 
you  will  find  the  political  wing  within  short  range.  Who  are 
the  writers  of  the  articles  in  this  book — "The  Handbook  on 
Mormonism" — the  product  of  diabolism?  I  will  give  you  a 
few  of  them  you  are  familiar  with.  The  Rev.  R.  Gr.  McNiece, 
[laughter]  Eli  H.  Murray,  [great  laughter  and  applause] 
the  Rev.  J.  M.  Coyner,  Jacob  S.  Boreman,  [laughter  and 
applause]  the  Rev.  T.  B.  Hilton,  J.  R.  McBride,  [laughter] 
0.  J.  Hollister  [much  laughter  and  applause]  and  others. 

(The  lecturer  created  great  merriment  by  using  the  plain- 
tive tone  commonly  used  by  a  priest  when  he  named  the  cler- 
gymen, and  vociferating  after  the  manner  of  a  stump  speaker 
when  he  uttered  the  name  of  a  political  schemer.) 

There  is  another  source  more  prolific  of  defamation  in 
this  community.  I  refer  to  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune,  the  organ 
of  the  conspirators.  I  wish  that  source  to  furnish  some  of  the 
evidence  to  sustain  the  position  that  I  take  to-night.  There 
was  published  on  the  15th  day  of  March,  1884,  what  was 
termed  "A  Red  Hot  Address."  It  purported  to  have  been 
delivered  by  a  "Mormon"  Bishop  named  West,  in  the  little 
town  of  Juab  in  the  southern  portion  of  this  Territory.  It 
was  very  prudent  to  select  a  little  side  station;  for  the  discov- 
ery of  a  forgery  would  not,  in  the  opinion  of  the  conspirators, 
be  so  easily  made  if  perpetrated  upon  a  place  of  that  kind. 
What  was  the  character  of  that  "Red  Hot  Address,"  said  to 
have  been  delivered  by  a  "Mormon"  Bishop?  It  recom- 
mended the  assassination  of  those  who  opposed  the  "Mormon" 
community.  Cue  of  the  objects  of  the  wrath  of  Bishop  West 


AND   ITS  CAUSES  17 


was  His  Excellency  Governor  Eli  H.  Murray.  And  Bishop 
West  told  his  audience  that  it  was  their  imperative  duty  to 
seize  upon  His  Excellency  and  tread  him  down  until  his 
bowels  gushed  out  on  the  streets,  and  that  those  who  should 
succeed  him,  if  they  did  not  behave  themselves  better  toward 
the  "Mormon"  community  than  he,  should  be  treated  in  a  simi- 
lar way.  This  "Red  Hot  Address''  was  true,  with  a  few 
trifling  exceptions.  I  wish  you  to  note  the  exceptions;  for  the 
organ  of  the  conspirators  does  not  stand  upon  trifles ;  not  by 
any  means.  ["No."]  In  the  first  place  there  is  no  Bishop 
West  in  the  "Mormon"  Church,  and  has  not  been  for  many 
ye;«rs.  There  was  no  meeting  held  in  Juab  on  the  day  on 
which  that  address  was  said  to  have  been  delivered.  No 
address  of  that  kind  was  ever  delivered.  With  these  trifling 
exceptions  the  address  was  entirely  correct*  [Laughter  and 
applause.] 

I  wish  you  to  note  .this  fact,  however,  that  if  there  ever 
were  any  individual  on  the  face  of  this  earth  susceptible  of 
being  deceived,  they  are  the  editors  of  the  Salt  Lake  Tri- 
bune, They  are  so  innocent,  so  guileless,  so  harmless  them- 
selves, that  they  do  not  think  that  anybody  would  do  any- 
thing wrong.  They  are  remarkable  for  innocence.  Why,  a 
child  might  deceive  them — that  is  providing — providing  they 
are  supplied  with  something  that  will  scandalize  the  charac- 
ters of  the  "Mormon"  community.  Then  they  are  easily 
deceived.  Very  easily  deceived,  indeed.  So  this  "Red  Hot 
Address"  was  a  canard.  They  were  very  much  deceived.  They 
even  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  they  were  really  imposed  upon 
by  some  person  who  furnished  that  address  for  publication, 
and  they  made  an  apology.  What  an  apology  it  was!  An 
apology  for  an  apology.  Let  me  see  what  kind  of  an  apology 
they  made  for  this  "Red  Hot  Address,"  fabricated  out  of  whole 
cloth.  Here  is  a  quotation  from  the  paper  of  which  I  am 
speaking: 

"The  case  of  the  'Red  Hot  Address'  has  been  cited,  which 
was  corrected  as  soon  as  the  managers  of  this  journal  found 
they  had  been  imposed  upon." 

* See  Appendix. 

1* 


18  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 


Here  is  a  qualification  to  that  apology  quoted  from  the  same 
sheet : 

"There  was  not  a  thing  in  that  bogus  sermon  which  has  not 
been  taught  in  the  Tabernacle  harangues." 

What  do  you  think  of  an  apology  of  that  kind?  I  call  that 
a  re-assertion  of  the  fabrication,  and  the  apology  is  worse  than 
the  first  falsehood.  [Applause.] 

I  will  give  you  another  sample  apology  for  something  else; 
goodness  knows  what,  that  appeared  in  that  innocent  sheet. 
Here  it  is : 

"By  a  mistake  a  jot  appeared  in  the  Tribune  yesterday, 
which  does  not  reflect  the  sentiments  of  any  owner  or  director 
of  this  journal.  It  was,  too,  as  objectionable  in  manner  as  mat- 
ter. It  was  altogether  wrong ;  its  publication  is  a  matter  of 
pain  and  mortification  to  us,  and  we  grieve  sincerely  that  it  ever 
found  its  way  into  the  Tribune. ' ' 

Can  you  tell  me  to  what  that  refers?  What  predicament 
does  that  leave  me  and  you  in,  ladies  and  gentlemen?  It 
leaves  you  and  me  in  this  dilemma,  that  we  must  apply  that 
apology  to  the  entire  sheet,  and  you  must  do  that  in  order  to 
cover  the  ground.  [Laughter  and  applause.] 

We  hear  it  frequently  asserted  by  these  journalists,  these 
conspirators — I  must  not,  I  suppose,  use  that  word  too  often, 
because  I  might  perhaps  tread  on  some  of  their  corns,  and  I 
surely  would  not  like  to  do  that;  but  we  are  frequently  told 
that  these  men  are  "American  gentlemen. "  I  think  they  must 
be  so.  We  must  consider  them  'American  gentlemen , ' '  for  here 
is  the  evidence  of  it:  They  have  said  they  are  themselves. 
[Laughter  and  applause.]  According  to  their  own  des- 
cription of  themselves  I  think  if  Chesterfield  were  living 
now  he  would  be  ashamed  of  himself.  Gentlemen,  of  course, 
are  considerate  of  the  feelings  of  others.  They  are  very  deli- 
cate about  giving  offense,  and  especially  avoid  speaking  in  a 
derogatory  way  of  any  sentiment  or  feeling  that  is  sacred  in 
the  breasts  of  their  fellow  creatures.  "American  gentlemen" 
would  never  do  that. 

1  call  your  attention  to  a  portion  of  the  faith  of  the  "Mor- 
mon" religion.  The  "Mormons"  believe  iu  the  religion  that 


AND  ITS  CAUSES.  19 

they  have  espoused,  and  like  other  people  they  have  a  right 
to  their  religious  views.  They  believe  that  by  the  performance 
of  vicarious  work,  the  performance  by  proxy  of  ordinances  by 
the  living  for  the  dead — provided  it  is  accepted  by  the  dead  in 
the  spirit  world,  a  saving  influence  is  brought  to  bear  upon 
those  who  have  passed  away  from  this  earth  without  obedience 
to  the  gospel.  This  is  a  sacred  principle  with  them.  It  is  so 
sacred  to  them,  and  it  is  a  subject  of  such  absorbing  interest 
to  them,  that  I  know  of  men  in  the  community  that  have  tra- 
versed sea  and  land  for  thousands,  of  miles  for  the  purpose  of 
gleaning  information  in  regard  to  their  dead  relatives,  that 
they  might  officiate  in  their  stead,  and  their  work  here  be  of 
some  benefit  to  their  progenitors,  and,  as  I  have  said,  their 
views  are  sacred  to  them.  Of  course  no  gentleman  would  hold 
up  their  religious  views  as  a  subject  for  vulgar  merriment, 
however  much  he  might  differ  from  them.  He  would  con- 
sider them  sacred  to  him  because  sacred  to  his  fellow- creatures. 
He  would  not  hold  them  up  to  ridicule  and  make  those  who 
entertain  them  the  laughing-stock  of  the  populace.  Surely  an 
'  American  gentleman"  would  not  be  guilty  of  so  grave  and 
vulgar  a  breach  of  common  decency  as  this.  But  let  us  see. 
I  will  read  an  extract  from  the  paper  published,  managed  and 
conducted  by  the  self-described  4t American  gentlemen" : 

OFFICIATING  FOR  THE  STIFFS. 

4 'A  short  time  ago  a  Mormon  Saintess  went  through  the 
Logan  Temple  and  was  baptized  or  sealed  to  and  had  adopted 
into  her  family  thirty  dead  relatives.  It  took  three  days  to 
perform  the  various  ceremonies  and  ordinations,  and  no  doubt 
the  defunct  will  now  rise  from  their  tombs,  or  from  their 
HEATED  DWELLING  places.  Her  husband  contemplates  going 
through  a  similar  ceremony  and  as  he  has  taken  the  trouble  to 
look  up  his  genealogy,  he  has  calculated  that  it  will  take 
him  exactly  four  months  to  perform  the  sacred  rites  for  the 
various  STIFFS  that  were  once  members  of  his  family.  The 
fools  are  not  all  dead  yet." 

And  this,  ladies  and  gentleman,  emanated  from  these  consi- 
derate "American  gentlemen."  [Applause.]  Judge  ye  of 
their  quality !  In  the  organ  of  the  conspirators  there  have 
been  slanders  most  vile.  Neither  sex  nor  age  has  been  spared 


20  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

in  the  vile  calumnies  that  have  been  heaped  upon  private  indi- 
viduals. I  would  not  insult  this  audience  by  recounting  the 
foul  aspersions,  the  assassin  stabs  upon  private  character  that 
have  been  again  and  again  and  again  perpetrated  in  the  most 
shameless  manner  in  that  unprincipled  sheet  published  and  con- 
ducted by  the  self-described  "American  gentlemen."  [Ap- 
plause.] 

In  speaking  of  the  clique  that  constantly  conspires  against 
the  commonwealth  of  Utah,  I  would  not  have  you  suppose 
that  I  refer  to  the  bulk  of  non- Mormons  of  this  Territory, 
among  whom  are  to  be  found  many  honorable  people  who  have 
no  lot  nor  part  in  the  conspiracy  and  who  do  not  give  it  their 
sympathy.  The  plot  is  confined  to  a  comparatively  few  design- 
ing characters,  who  spare  no  efforts  to  whip  others  into  line. 
The  operations  of  these  enemies  of  liberty  in  Utah, are,  in  my 
opinion,  heartily  despised  by  many  people  who  have  no  connec- 
tion with  the  "Mormon"  Church,  nor  sympathy  with  its  doc- 
trines. Even  numbers  of  clergymen  take  this  position. 

THE   OBJECT  OP  THE   CONSPIRACY. 

What  has  been  the  object  of  these  vile  detractions  of  an 
innocent  community?  Two  fold  in  its  character.  The  relig- 
ious wing  of  the  conspiracy  desires  to  have  the  "Mormon" 
religion  crushed  out,  because  in  their  operations  here  they 
have  no  religious  success.  Their  efforts  are  barren  and  un*ruit- 
ful.  They  stay  here  and  go  back  eastward  when  they  wish  to 
pass  around  the  hat.  Th-ey  return  after  getting  the  financial 
benefits  of  their  vile  calumnies  and  giving  descriptions  of  their 
personal  heroism  and  hairbreadth  escapes  among  the  lawless 
"Mormons."  They  are  hirelings.  They  preach  for  hire  and 
divine  for  money.  The  Elders  of  the  ''Mormon"  Church  are 
a  standing  reproach  to  such  men.  Like  the  immediate  fol- 
lowers of  Him  whom  they  profess  to  serve,  they  go  out  into 
the  world  without  purse  or  scrip,  as  they  did,  and  they  have 
success  in  their  labors.  When  they  go  they  take  their  lives  in 
their  hands  as  those  men  did  who  were  brutally  murdered  on 
Cane  Creek,  Lewis  County.  Tennessee;  and  when  they  return 
they  bring  their  sheaves  with  them.  And  in  this  way  a  relig- 


AND  ITS  CA  USES.  21 

ious,  honest  and  industrious  community  is  built  up  in  the 
Territory  of  Utah  and  adjacent  places  in  this  part  of  the  great 
West.  The  success  of  these  Elders  is  a  standing  reproach  to 
the  hirelings  who  have  no  success  in  their  labors,  and  there- 
fore they  want  that  reproach  wiped  out,  or,  according  to  the 
priests  who  assembled  in  Ogden,  they  desire  that  "Mormon- 
ism"  should  not  bo  reasoned  with  but  stamped  out.  This  is 
the  object  of  the  religious  wing  of  this  conspiracy.  When 
the  Elders  go  abroad  they  have  a  great  deal  to  meet.  For 
instance  I  will  explain  what  they  have  had  to  encounter  in 
western  and  middle  Tennessee,  where  the  Elders  who  were 
slain  on  Cane  Creek  were  laboring.  What  was  the  situation 
before  that  horrible  tragedy  was  consummated?  Everywhere 
they  went,  they  had  presented  to  them  the  "Red  Hot 
Address,"  published  in  this  city  by  the  organ  of  the  conspira- 
tors. It  was  specially  handed  about  and  circulated  by  a  Bap- 
tist preacher  named  Vandever,  of  Hohenwald,  Lewis  County. 
I  have  the  facts  here  [holding  up  a  letter  in  his  hand]*  giving 
names  and  details  from  one  of  the  survivors  of  the  massacre 
on  Cane  Creek — Elder  W.  H.  Joaes.  It  has  been  said  that 
there  has  been  no  evidence  of  the  "Red  Hot  Address"  ever 
having  gone  to  Tennessee.  Not  only  was  that  "Red  Hot 
Address"  there,  but  Elder  Gibbs  who  was  slain,  and  Elder 
Jones  who  survives,  presented  to  this  Baptist  preacher  whom 
I  have  named  a  refutation  of  the  slanderous  fabrication,  in 
order  that  he  might  redress  the  evil  that  he  had  accomplished 
by  its  dissemination  among  the  people,  and  which  had 
inflamed 'the  minds  of  the  populace  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  were  prepared  largely  by  that  statement  or  alleged 
address  purporting  to  have  been  delivered  by  a  "Mormon" 
bishop,  to  shed  the  blood  of  the  Elders,  and  they  did  it;  and 


* EXTRACT  FROM  ELDER  JONES'  LETTER. — 'This  villain- 
ous, slanderous  fabrication  was  circulated  over  the  country. 
Parson  Vandever  worked  up  prejudice  against  us  in  that  section 
by  giving  it  [the  'Red  Hot  Address']  wide  publicity,  and  by  his 
pretended  credence  to  the  falsehood,  causing  great  excitement. 
Elder  Gibbs  and  I  sent  by  mail  to  Vandever  an  exposure  of  the 
address  in  question,  but  he  did  not  show  it  to  anybody  that  we 
know  of." 


22  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

the  blood  of  innocence  is  upon  the  skirts  of  those  who  perpe- 
trated that  infamy.  The  authorship  of  an  indirect  cause  of 
the  murder  is  now  traced  home  to  them ;  they  cannot  relieve 
themselves  of  it. 

What  is  the  other  part  of  the  conspiracy?  The  "Mormons" 
are  in  the  majority  here,  and  as  the  majority  rules  everywhere 
in  this  republic,  as  a  natural  consequence  they  hold  the  bal- 
ance of  political  power  in  the  Territory.  And  the  infamous 
lies,  some  of  which  I  have  recounted,  that  have  been  spread 
far  and  wide  to  show  that  the  ''Mormons"  are  a  lawless  peo- 
ple, that  they  are  a  vile  people,  that  they  are  not  fit  to  live, 
were  intended  to  form  a  prejudice  in  the  minds  of  the  people 
throughout  the  country  generally,  in  order  that  the  conspira- 
tors might  operate  under  that  feeling  with  impunity.  They 
imagined  that  but  few  if  any  people  in  the  nation,  in  the  light 
or  face  of  existing  prejudice  thus  created,  would  think  they 
were  doing  wrong.  This  part  of  the  conspiracy  is  to  sweep 
away  from  Utah  every  vestige  of  popular  rule  and  concentrate 
the  political  power  in  the  hands  of  an  unscrupulous  few,  or  in 
the  hands  of  what  I  call  the  office-seekers'  combination  of 
Utah — those  who  are  hungry  for  office  and  its  spoils — that 
they  might  grind  the  "Mormon"  community  into  the  dust. 
I  will  give  you  the  proof,  and  the  other  side  shall  supply  the 
evidence: 

In  November,  1880,  an  election  was  held  in  this  Territory 
for  a  delegate  to  Congress  from  Utah.  The  candidate  of  the 
People's  Party  was  the  Hon.  George  Q.  Cannon,  the  candi- 
date of  the  conspirators  Mr.  Allen  G.  Campbell.  The  Hon. 
George  Q.  Cannon  received  of  the  popular  vote  on  that  occa- 
sion considerable  over  IS, 000  votes,  and  Allen  G.  Campbell 
about  1,300.  Did  this  express  the  popular  will?  In  what 
more  forcible  way  can  the  popular  will  be  exhibited  than  by 
the  franchise?  It  Was  the  duty  of  His  Excellency,  Governor 
Eli  H.  Murray,  to  furnish  the  candidate  who  received  the 
largest  number  of  votes  a  certificate  to  that  effect,  to  present 
as  a  credential  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  he  gave 
that  certificate  to  the  man  that  received  1,300  votes.  Does 


AND  ITS  OA  USES.  23 


that  not  prove,  as  far  as  it  goes,  the  character  of  the  con- 
spiracy? It  is  to  usurp  the  political  authority  that  belongs  to 
the  people  in  a  republican  form  of  government.  He  who  gave 
that  certificate,  certified  to  a  falsehood,  and  made  an  attempt 
to  dethrone  the  power  of  the  people,  to  thwart  the  public  will, 
the  popular  will,  and  establish  his  will,  an  autocracy,  and  to 
wrest  from  the  people  the  reins  of  government. 

I  will  still  further  show  the  political  character  of  the  con- 
spiracy, and  also  why  so  many  infamous  lies  have  been  told 
about  the  l 'Mormons."  that  under  cover  of  these  falsehoods 
and  the  prejudice  resulting,  the  objects  of  this  conspiracy 
might  be  attained. 

On  the  3rd  day  of  August,  1882,  there  was  inserted  in  the 
sundry  civil  appropriation  bill,  in  Congress,  an  amendment 
made  by  Senator  Hoar.  It  was  offered  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  through  the  negligence  of  the  Utah  Commission  the 
election  that  ought  to  have  occurred  in  that  month  lapsed. 
The  amendment  thus  inserted  was  passed  there,  giving 
authority  to  His  Excellency,  Eli  H.  Murray,  to  fill  all  vacancies 
that  might  occur  in  offices  in  this  Territory  through  the  lapse 
of  that  election  that  should  have  been  held.  Fortunately, 
however,  there  is  a  Territorial  statute  which  provides  that  in 
case  of  any  deficiency  in  regard  to  filling  the  offices  by  the  lapse 
of  an  election,  or  through  any  other  cause,  such  as  an  intended 
successor  to  an  ffioce  not  qualifying  within  statutory  time,  the 
incumbent  should  hold  over  until  such  time  as  a  legal  election 
should  take  place;  and  therefore  there  were  no  vacancies.  So 
it  was  held  pretty  generally  even  by  those  that  were  very 
prominent,  subsequently,  on  the  other  side.  I  might  be 
allowed  to  state  here  that  it  is  publicly  known  that  Mr.  Mar- 
shall, a  prominent  lawyer  of  this  city,  stated  that  there  were 
no  vacancies,  and  he  so  expressed  himself  to  quite  a  number 
of  persons  belonging  to  the  People's  Party.  However,  passing 
that  over  I  now  direct  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  there 
were  a  large  number  of  offices  that  were  not  vacant  in  any 
case,  the  election  to  which  could  not  legally  have  occurred  for 
a  year  subsequent  to  that  August  election.  But  the  party 
who  desired  to  make  the  seizure  of  the  political  power  of 


24  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

Utah  do  not  stand  upon  trifles;  His  Excellency,  Eli  H.  Mur- 
ray, in  the  face  of  these  facts,  endeavored  to  fill  nearly  every 
office  in  Utah  Territory  by  his  appointment,  and  in  that  way 
overthrow  every  vestige  of  popular  rule  in  Utah  Territory. 
This  was  an  evidence  of  the  impatience  of  the  office  hunters' 
party,  because  they  anticipated  by  this  act  the  legislation  which 
they  desired  on  that  subject.  Much  anxiety  has  been  mani- 
fested by  certain  persons  whom  I  have  named  in  regard  to  the 
political  affairs  of  this  Territory.  Among  the  officers — among 
these  would-be  officers — appointees  of  the  governor,  were 
found  some  of  the  gentlemen  who  figured  conspicuously  in  the 
first  meeting  in  the  Methodist  Church,  the  details  of  which  I 
have  already  furnished  this  audience.  Judge  Jacob  S.  Bore- 
man  was  gubernatorially  appointed  to  an  office  in  this  county; 
also  Mr.  J.  F.  Bradley.  It  is  a  wonder  that  Judge  J.  K 
McBride  was  left  out  in  the  cold;  but  there  was  nothing  large 
enough,  I  presume,  to  satisfy  that  gentleman.  [Laughter.] 

Have  I  not  proven  to  a  demonstration  the  object  of  this 
conspiracy,  and  the  reason  why  such  infamous  fabricated 
statements  are  sent  abroad  to  prejudice  the  minds  of  the 
people  against  the  "Mormon"  community?  I  think  that  I 
have,  and  I  have  taken  the  evidence  from  the  ~ther  side  of 
the  fence.  They  have  furnished  the  proof  themselves,  and  I 
have  only  made  use  of  it. 

EFFECTS   OF  THE   CONSPIRACY  UPON    CONGRESS. 

What  are  the  effects  of  this  conspiracy  and  this  prejudice 
upon  Congress?  The  effects  are  these:  Laws  that  we  con- 
sider to  be  unconstitutional  are  introduced  into  Congress  and 
some  of  them  are  passed  and  become -law.  For  instance  there 
is  the  Edmunds  law  with  which  you  are  all  more  or  less  fam- 
iliar. One  of  its  chief  objects  was  to  disfranchise  those  who 
were  practical  polygamists  in  the  v'Mormon"  community,  and 
that  was  effectually  done  in  the  operation  of  that  law.  But 
some  men  have  India  rubber  consciences,  and  they  injected 
this  India  rubber  material  into  the  law  and  made  it  stretch. 
The  Utah  Commission — I  talk  respectfully  of  that  body  of 
gentlemen — made  that  law  stretch  to  its  utmost  capacity. 


AND  ITS  CA  USES.  25 

They  almost  went  outside  of  polygamy  altogether.  If  they 
had  just  gone  half  an  inch  further  they  would  have  excluded 
from  the  polls  persons  who  were  first  cousins  to  polygamists. 
[Applause  and  laughter.]  There  is  one  very  peculiar  feature 
associated  with  the  Edmunds  law.  There  has  been  introduced 
in  connection  with  its  operations,  without  the  color  or  authority 
of  law,  a  test  oath.  That  oath  made  its  first  appearance,  I 
think,  in  1879 — if  my  memory  serves  me  correctly — in  what 
was  known  as  the  Willits'  bill,  a  measure  that  was  introduced 
into  Congress,  but  did  not  pass.  It  was  formulated — so  I 
have  been  given  to  understand — by  the  Utah  conspirators  here 
and  furnished  to  Mr,  Willits  to  be  incorporated  in  his  Utah 
bill.  It  was  subsequently  used  by  His  Excellency,  Eli  H. 
Murray,  and  had  to  be  subscribed  to  by  every  person  elected  to 
any  office  in  this  Territory  before  he  could  receive  a  commission. 
And  now,  under  the  Edmunds  law,  every  person  who  walks 
up  to  the  registrar's  office  to  register  has  to  take  this  iron-clad 
oath,  a  copy  of  which  I  now  hold  in  my  hand.  If  I  had  been 
a  conspirator  I  do  not  think  that  I  should  have  favored  the 
introduction  of  this  particular  oath.  My  reason  for  this  is 
that,  according  to  a  vulgarism,  it  "gives  the  whole  thing 
away. ' '  I  will  not  read  the  entire  oath,  but  will  read  a  por- 
tion of  it:  "That  I  have  not  lived  or  cohabited  with  more 
than  one  woman  in  the  marriage  relation.11  [The  lecturer's 
manner  of  uttering  the  words  in  italics  in  a  subdued  tone  cre- 
ated great  laughter  and  applause.]  That  oath  makes  a  wide 
opening  through  which  the  corruptionist,  steeped  up  to  his 
neck  in  filth  and  crime  can  crawl  [loud  applause]  and  builds 
around  the  man  who  conscientiously  enters  more  or  less  into 
the  marriage  relation  a  wall  deep,  thick  and  high,  so  that  he  cannot 
get  through  or  climb  over.  Does  not  that  give  the  thing  away? 
I  am  not  displeased  that  they  formulated  that  oath.  It  shows 
the  position  exactly.  It  exhibits  the  superiority'of  the  "Mor- 
mon" community  over  the  corruptionist s.  [Applause.] 

There  is  a  custom  whenever  a  man  comes  into  special  promi- 
nence in  political  matters  for  his  admirers  to  wear  a  particular 
kind  of  hat.  For  instance,  there  is  the  Cleveland  hat,  and 
there  is  the  Elaine  hat.  I  have  a  recommendation  to  offer  to 


26  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

the  conspirators,  and  why  not  adopt  it?  Let  us  have  an 
"anti-marriage  relation  hat."  [Applause,]  Let  it  be  of  spot- 
less white,  emblematical  of  the  purity  of  the  characters  of 
those  entitled  to  wear  it  [laughter]  and  let  there  be  written 
in  gold  letters — large,  so  they  can  be  easily  read  by  the  passing 
observer— the  words:  "I  HAVE  NOT  LIVED  NOR  CO- 
HABITED WITH  MORE  THAN  ONE  WOMAN,"  and 
in  small  letters  [applause  and  laughter]  so  that  you  can  hardly 
see  them,  "in  the  marriage  relation."  [Renewed  applause  and 
laughter.  ]  The  saving  clause  should  be  very  obscure,  it  tells 
such  a  horrible  tale. 

In  the  anti- "Mormon"  crusade  first  meeting,  details  of  which 
I  have  given,  Judge  McBride  said  that  he  desired  that  that 
legal  provision  which  prevented  a  woman  from  testifying  against 
her  husband  should  be  expunged  from  the  statute  books,  and 
you  can  see  the  ear-marks  of  the  Utah  conspirators  in  all  the 
legislation  that  has  been  introduced  into  Congress.  I  am  not 
here  to  blame  the  national  legislators  for  what  they  have  done, 
for  I  believe  it  has  been  largely  the  result  of  the  misrepresenta- 
tions that  have  been  made  by  the  conspirators  whose  head 
quarters  are  in  this  city.  They  have  acted  in  the  belief  that 
the  "Mormon"  community  were  as  vile  as  they  have  been 

painted  by  these,  I  was  going  to  say you  can  imagine — I 

do  not  wish  to  use  anything  bat  respectful  language,  because  I 
am  speaking  of  "American  gentlemen."  [Applause.]  And 
what  is  the  character  of  the  crusade  legislation?  One  of  the 
first  provisions  of  the  Hoar  amendment  act  passed  by  the 
Senate  at  its  last  session,  provides  that  the  wife  shall  testify 
against  the  husband,  and  as  the  Husband  and  the  wife  are  one, 
the  monstrous  doctrine  is  incorporated  that  a  man  shall  be 
compelled  to  testify,  in  that  sense,  against  himself.  What  an 
outrage  to  attempt  to  demolish  a  leading  safeguard  which 
maintains  the  sacredness  of  the  family  circle!  Shame  on  the 
instigators  of  such  legislation !  I  have  a  right  to  express  my 
sentiments  regarding  so  flagrant  an  outrage'sought  to  be  per- 
petrated upon  an  innocent  people. 

This  law  also  proposes,  in  certain  cases,  that  a  witness  shall 
be  treated  as  a  criminal  by  abolishing  the  ordinary  process  of 
the  subpoena  and  providing  that  an  attachment  shall  issue. 


AND  ITS  OAUSES.  27 

And  the  "Mormon"  community,  according  to  this  remark- 
able measure,  shall  have  no  power  to  transact  their  own  secular 
business,  but  it  proposes  to  perform  it  for  them  by  fourteen 
trustees  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States.  It 
is  a  wonder  that  they  did  not  incorporate  some  provision  in  the 
law  that  Bishop  Preston  and  his  Counselors  of  the  "Mormon" 
Church  should  be  deposed  from  their  positions — it  amounts  to 
nearly  the  same  thing — and  that  a  Bishop  and  Counselors  be 
appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  [laughter]. 

Further,  the  franchise  is,  according  to  this  law,  to  be  swept 
away  from  the  ladies.  What  an  ungallant  lot  these  con- 
spirators are!  Operating  against  the  ladies  whom  they  claim 
are  in  bondage  in  Utah,  and  yet  they  want  to  take  an  un- 
warrantable step  to  enslave  them  politically. 

It  further  provides  that  the  property  of  the  "Mormons"  shall 
be  confiscated  summarily;  and  that  under  no  pretence  what- 
ever shall  the  people  amalgamate  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
people  to  this  Territory  from  abroad.  Therefore,  if  this  were 
law — let  us  hope  for  the  sake  of  republican  institutions  that 
it  never  will  be— you  would  not  have  the  privilege  of  bringing 
to  this  land  your  father,  or  your  grandmother,  or  your  cousins, 
or  your  aunt,  or  any  of  your  relatives,  because  they  are  "Mor- 
mons. ' ' 

What  a  parody  on  legislation! — the  result  of  the  work  of  a 
conspiracy,  religious  and  political,  in  the  Territory  of  Utah, 
with  its  headquarters  in  Salt  Lake  City.  That  is  the  charac- 
ter of  the  legislation  sought  to  be  brought  about  by  that  com- 
bination, to  sweep  away  the  liberties  of  the  people  and  grasp 
the  power  that  will  grind  them  into  the  dust,  under  the  cover 
of  the  prejudice  that  they  have  created  by  their  infamous 
falsehoods. 

ATTITUDE  OF  THE  CONSPIRATORS  SINCE  THE  MASSACRE. 

I  will  now  show  the  position  that  has  been  taken  by  repre- 
sentatives of  the  conspiracy  since  the  massacre  took  place, 
that  unhappy  and  horrible  deed  in  Lewis  County,  Tennessee. 
There  is,  I  believe,  a  general  understanding  that  the  chief 
editor  of  the  Tribune  is  or  has  been  a  member  of  the  legal 


28  THE  TENNESSEE  MASS  A  ORE 

profession.  He  is  called  Judge  Goodwin.  I  do  not  know 
how  far  that  goes.  I  presume  that  if  I  was  to  say  to  this 
audience,  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  an  answer,  "How  do 
you  do,  Colonel?"  there  would  by  a  chorus  of  voices,  there  are 
so  many  colonels  in  this  country.  And  so  it  is  with  judges. 
But  I  believe  that  the  gentleman  I  now  speak  of  possesses 
legal  knowledge.  What  an  unfortunate  thing  that  he  does 
not  inject  it  into  his  journalism! 

Here  is  a  quotation  embodying  another  quotation,  which 
the  Tribune  in  its  issue  of  Sep.  1 6th,  1884,  contains: 

"On  the  other  hand,  the  reason  why  the  violence  was  com- 
mitted has  been  boldly  given.  The  clergyman  of  Nashville, 
extracts  of  whose  sermon  we  gave  last  week,  openly  says:" 

"'The  law-abiding  citizens  charge  upon  these  Mormon  mis- 
sionaries that,  under  the  guise  of  religion,  they  were  attempt- 
ing to  seduce  their  wives  and  daughters  from  the  paths  of 
virtue,  and  they  have  not  disproved  it. " 

"We  have  other  evidence  of  the  same  kind." 
Were  Judge  Goodwin  on  the  bench  instead  of  the  tripod, 
and  he  should  take  a  similar  position  in  regard  to  charges 
made  against  alleged  law-breakers  brought  before  him,  what 
would  be  the  result?  Suppose  a  man  was  charged  with  murder 
in  his  court,  and  the  jury  were  asked  to  bring  in  a  verdict, 
his  instructions  after  the  trial  would  be  something  like  this: 
"You  must  bring  in  a  verdict  of  guilty,  for  this  man  is 
charged  with  murder,  and  has  not  disproved  it."  What  a  re- 
markable position  to  be  taken  by  an  intelligent  man!  Accord- 
ing to  his  position  all  you  have  to  do  in  order  to  prove  a 
person  guilty  is  to  make  a  charge  against  him,  and  convict 
him  providing  he  fails  to  disprove  it.  That  is  reversing  the 
usual  methods  of  justice  with  a  vengeance.  These  Elders 
were  charged  by  the  local  priests  whose  prejudices,  pro- 
bably, were  incited  by  the  "Red  Hot  Address"  and  other 
documents  of  that  description — with  attempting  to  seduce  the 
wives  and  daughters  of  citizens  of  Tennessee,  and  they  have 
not  disproved  it.  What  a  travesty  on  common  sense!  How 
absurd  1  How  ridiculous !  But  then  they  have  other  evidence — 
proof — of  the  same  kind.  They  have  evidence  to  the  effect 


AND  ITS  CA  USES.  29 

that  charges  have  been  made  against  these  Elders,  and  these 
Elders  have  not  disproved  it.  Very  remarkable  that  they 
have  not  disproved  it  seeing  that  they  are  dead!  What  a 
wonderful  thing  to  take  place  in  our  day,  that  these  men, 
murdered  in  cold  blood,  because  charges  have  been  made 
against  them  to  palliate  the  crime  perpetrated  by  the  mur- 
derers, and  because  they  do  not  rise  out  of  their  graves,  to 
which  they  were  sent  by  the  hands  of  assassins  before  their 
time,  to  disprove  the  charges,  they  must  be  guilty!  How 
supremely  ridiculous! 

After  the  murder  was  perpetrated  all  the  respect  that  could 
be  shown  by  a  grief- stricken  community  was  exhibited  to 
those  who  were  ruthlessly  slain.  Their  remains  were  buried 
by  those  who  survived  that  awful  tragedy  near  the  spot  where 
their  blood  was  shed.  Elder  B.  H.  Roberts,  and  others,  at 
the  risk  of  their  lives,  proceeded  to  the  place  where  they  were 
entombed  and  exhumed  the  bodies  and  prepared  them  to  be 
dispatched  to  their  sorrowing  relatives,  as  the  last  grain  of 
comfort  that  could  be  given  to  the  bereaved.  I  said  these 
men  performed  this  brotherly  act  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  as 
was  subsequently  proved.  On  their  return  trip  from  Cane 
Creek  they  lost  their  way.  Happily  for  them  that  they  did; 
for  there  was  a  party  of  mobbers  ambushed  ready  to  shed  their 
blood  also,  even  when  they  were  on  this  mission  of  mercy  and 
brotherly  kindness.  However,  the  bodies  were  brought  here. 
The  remains  of  Elder  Berry  were  taken  to  the  South,  to  Ka- 
narra  and  consigned  to  his  family,  and  the  remains  of  Elder 
G-ibbs  to  Paradise,  his  home  when  he  was  alive.  And  through- 
out this  Territory,  and  in  every  place  where  the  news  had 
reached  the  "Mormons,"  arrangements  were  made  to  hold 
services  in  honor  of  the  dead,  to  show  the  respect  of  the 
people  for  those  who  had  been  slain.  Among  these  meetings 
was  a  large  assemblage  in  the  Taberuacle  of  this  city,  which 
was  crowded  on  the  occasion;  an  immense  host  convened  there, 
and  certain  Elders  poured  out  their  thoughts  in  words  of 
respect  for  the  dead  and  grief  for  the  awful  act  that  had  caused 
the  death  of  these  men. 


30  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

But  more  eloquently  still  was  the  prevailing  sentiment  ex- 
pressed by  the  moistened  eyes  which  could  be  seen  all  over 
that  vast  congregation,  so  far  as  the  faces  came  distinctly 
within  the  range  of  vision  of  the  observer. 

What  was  the  position  taken  by  the  organ  of  the  conspira- 
tors, the  Salt  Lake  Tribune,  regarding  these  solemn  ceremonies? 
That  sheet  contained,  in  its  following  issue,  an  alleged  de- 
scription, of  the  proceedings,  and  it  was  a  travesty — a  farce. 
What  think  you  of  men  who  can  be  so  lost  to  the  better  feel- 
ings of  humanity  that  they  can  take  the  grief,  the  sorrow  of 
their  fellow  creatures  and  laughingly  gloat  over  and  hold  it  up 
as  something  to  be  vulgarly  joked  about?  I  say  that  the  de- 
gradation of  the  human  heart  cannot  reach  a  lower  depth 
than  that  [applause] ,  and  I  say  that  men  who  can  be  guilty  of 
such  an  outrage  are  lost  to  all  of  the  better  feelings  of  human- 
ity [applause].  Perhaps  you  think  T  speak  strongly  on  this 
subject.  I  want  you  to  understand  that  I  speak  no  more 
strongly  than  I  feel  [applause], 

Perhaps  there  may  be  some  in  the  audience  that  think  an 
apology  is  due  from  me  for  my  severity.  I  feel  that  my 
apology  must  be  of  a  similar  character  to  that  which  was  given 
by  a  member  of  the  British  House  of  Parliament,  when  he  was 
guilty  of  making  some  personal  remarks  regarding  a  member 
of  that  august  body.  He  was  called  upon  for  an  apology;  he 
remarked:  ul  said  the  gentleman  on  the  other  side  was  a 
scoundrel,  and  I  am  sorry  for  it."  He  was  sorry  he  was  a 
scoundrel  [laughter  and  applause].  I  have  stated  that  men 
who  are  guilty  of  such  outrages  as  those  which  I  have  de- 
scribed are  lost  to  all  that  makes  man  noble,  and  I  am  sorry 
for  it — I  am  sorry  they  are  so  lost  [applause]. 

It  appears  that  the  surviving  Elders  in  Tennessee,  B.  H. 
Roberts  and  others,  petitioned  Governor  Bate  of  that  State 
to  take  official  steps  to  have  the  murderers  arrested  and 
punished  for  the  fearful  crime.  In  response,  this  magnanim- 
ous governor  offered  the  munificent  sum  of  $1,000  to  be 
spread  over  a  whole  crowd  of  mobbers  and  murderers.  But 
the  sum  seemed  exceedingly  large  to  His  Excellency  Governor 
Eii  H.  Murray.  Doubtless  he  thought  it  vastly  too  much.  He 


AND  ITS  CAUSES. 


sent  to  Governor  Bate  a  dispatch,  of  congratulation.  He 
stated  in  that  dispatch  that  he  was  glad  to  see  that  Governor 
Bate  was  taking  some  steps  to  have  those  who  killed  the 
Elders  brought  to  justice,  because  it  was  no  just  reason  that 
they  should  be  murdered  because  they  were  agents  of  "organ- 
ized crime."  What  do  you  think  the  governor  sent  that 
dispatch  for?  He  was  overwhelmed  with  hypocritical  grief. 
He,  under  cover  of  this  pretended  sorrow,  like  the  senseless 
ostrich  that  thinks  when  its  head  is  in  the  sand  it  cannot  be 
seen,  only  made  other  portions  of  his  physical  structure  ap- 
pear all  the  more  prominent  [laughter  and  applause].  He 
sent  that  dispatch  in  order  to  tell  the  people  of  Tennessee  and 
the  country  generally  that  the  Elders  who  were  killed  were 
but  the  agents  of  c  'organized  crime  ;  '  '  but  —  really  —  of  course 
—  it  was  not  exactly  the  right  thing  to  kill  them.  But  still 
they  were  merely  agents  of  "organized  crime''  [applause].  * 

Perhaps  you  and  I  may  think  that  the  governor  stepped 
out  of  his  way  in  order  to  interfere  with  the  affairs  of  a  com- 
monwealth, with  which  he  has  no  more  to  do  officially  or  per- 
sonally than  the  humblest  citizen  of  this  Territory.  But, 
then,  how  could  he  get  it  before  the  country,  that  the  Elders 
who  were  killed  were  agents  of  "organized  crime"  unless  he 


* GOVERNOR  MURRAY'S  DISPATCH — 

SALT  LAKH:  CITY, 

Aug.  22d. 
Gov.   W.  ft.  Bate,  Nashville,  Tenn.: 

Dispatches  state  that  you  are  exerting  yourself  to  vindicate 
the  laws  in  the  matter  of  the  murder  of  Mormon  missionaries  in 
Tennessee.  I  thank  you  for  this  action.  The  charges  of  preach- 
ing polygamy  does  not  excuse  murder.  I  trust  that  you  may 
bring  the  guilty  to  punishment,  thereby  preventing  such  lawless- 
ness in  Tennessee  or  elsewhtre.  Lawlessness  in  Tennessee  and 
Utah  are  alike  reprehensible,  but  the  murdered  Mormon  'agents 
in  Tennessee  were  sent  from  here  as  they  have  been  for  years  by 
the  representatives  of  organized  crime,  and  I  submit  that  as 
long  as  Tennessee's  representatives  in  Congress  are,  to  say  the 
least,  indifferent  to  the  punishment  of  offenders  against  the 
national  law  in  Utah,  such  cowardly  outrages  by  their  constit- 
uents as  the  killing  of  emigration  agents  sent  there  from  .here 
will  continue. 

ELI  H.  MURRAY, 

Governor, 


32  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

should  make  that  interference.  It  could  not  be  otherwise 
done ;  so  excellent  an  opportunity  could  not  be  let  slip  in  order 
to  create,  to  create,  to  manufacture  the  same  feeling  that 
caused  the  murder  of  five  human  beings  and  the  wounding  of 
an  innocent  woman.  That  was  all  that  the  dispatch  was  in- 
tended to  do,  in  my  opinion. 

But  do  you  think  that  the  governor  sent  that  dispatch  of 
his  own  accord  and  volition  altogether?  Do  you  think,  now, 
honestly,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  he  formulated  that  dis- 
patch and  sent  it  outside  of  the  conspiracy  combination  ?  If 
you  do,  then  you  do  not  exactly  believe  the  same  as  I  do 
[laughter].  I  am  too  familiar  with  the  operations  of  that  small 
circle  of  schemers  to  believe  any  such  thing.  In  the  first 
place  my  opinion  is — when  I  express  an  opinion  I  give  it  as 
such  ;  when  I  relate  facts  I  sustain  them  as  facts ;  I  give  you 
this  as  my  opinion,  you  can  take  it  for  what  it  is  worth — it 
was  first  necessary  to  secure  the  approval  and  consent  of  him 
who  has  said,  on  the  streets  of  this  city,  that  he  is  practically 
the  governor  of  Utah.  Do  you  know  who  he  is?  Patrick 
H.  Lannan  [loud  laughter  and  applause],  an  American  gentle- 
man of  Cork  [great  applause  and  laughter] ,  or  the  County 
Down,  or  some  other  place  in  equally  close  proximity  to  New 
York  or  Massachusets  [renewed  laughter  and  applause]. 
The  gentleman  whom  I  have  named  is  given  to  talking.  I 
might  say  very  much  given  to  talking.  It  has  been  said  that 
perpetual  motion  has  never  been  brought  to  light,  but  Mr. 
Lannan's  tongue  comes  the  nearest  to  it  of  anything  that  has 
been  discovered  [laughter  and  applause].  He  has  stated  that 
the  governor  cannot  make  any  prominent  move  without  he  is 
consulted  in  regard  to  it.  He  has  told  this  very  broadly,  and 
the  information  is  from  his  side  of  the  house.  This  is  very 
well  known,  and  it  rasps  a  little  on  the  feelings  of  some  of  his 
own  friends.  Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  as  the  showman 
said,  "you  pays  your  money  and  you  takes  your  choice'* 
[laughter].  You  can  take  for  your  governor  Eli  H.  Murray 
or  Patrick  H.  Lannan  [applause].  I  think  I  will  take  Mr, 
Murray  [a  voice — "Don't'']. 


AND  ITS  CA  USES.  33 

THE  EDUCATION  SUBTERFUGE. 

Perhaps,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  am  taking  up  too  much 
time  [loud  cries  of  "No,  No,"  and  "Go  on"].  There  is  a 
question  that  has  been  agitating  this  community  of  late  very 
much,  especially  in  some  quarters  of  this  city.  It  is  a  cam- 
paign question  with  the  conspirators.  It  is  the  educational 
condition  of  this  Territory.  I  remember  attending  a  political 
meeting  held  in  front  of  the  tribune  office  on  Second  South 
Street  before  it  removed  to  its  present  quarters.  On  a  por- 
tion of  the  stand  in  front  of  the  orators — it  was  an  election 
subject  that  was  on  the  tapis — was  a  vessel  that  contained  a 
liquid  to  which  Mr.  Scott  Anderson  and  other  temperance 
men  very  much  object.  There  was  a  speaker  getting  off  the 
usual  anti-Mormon  buncombe,  and  as  the  contents  of  the  jug 
grew  beautifully  less  his  articulation  commenced  to  get  pro- 
portionately thicker.  He  reproached  the  people  for  their 
alleged  lack  of  educational  facilities,  and  shouted  "Where  is 
your  free  schools?  [imitating  the  thick  articulation  of  the  half 
intoxicated  orator  and  would-be  "Mormon,"  regenerator.] 
Where  is  your  seminaries  of  learning?"  [Laughter  and  ap- 
plause. ] 

There  has  been  on  this  subject  a  very  large  cat  lately  let  out 
of  the  bag.  It  was  the  Methodists  that  did  it  this  time  [Laugh- 
ter]. You  know  as  well  as  I  know  that  it  has  always  been 
asserted  that  the  district  or  common  schools  of  Utah  are  sec- 
tarian, that  the  books  used  in  them  were  sectarian  or  "Mor- 
mon" books;  that  if  children  of  non- "Mormons"  were  sent 
there  they  are  liable  to  be  indoctrinated  in  the  tenets  of  the 
"Mormon"  faith.  This  information  was  conveyed  to  Senator 
Hoar  by  the  Utah  conspirators,  as  evinced  in  his  speech  on  the 
Utah  bill.  I  here  have  his  own  language,  and  will  quote  his 
words  to  show  how  he  had  been  stuffed  on  this  subject: 

"We  find  schools  established  where  the  text  books  are 
selected  wholly  to  instruct  the  youth  of  that  community  in  a 
doctrine  inconsistent,  as  we  believe,  not  only  with  Christian- 
ity, but  civilization  itself." 

He  had  been  primed  and  loaded  by  the  Utah  calumniators 
of  the  "Mormons."  But  the  Methodists,  at  a  conference 


34  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

which  lately  convened  at  Ogden,  let  the  whole  thing  out;  for 
they]considered  a  resolution  in  their  meeting  as  to  the  advis- 
ibility  of  introducing  into  their  denominational  schools  text 
books  the  same  as  those  infuse  in, the  "'Mormon'  district 
schools."  You  see  they  were  so  anxious — so  deeply  anxious 
— to  have  their  children  indoctrinated  in  the  tenets  of  "Mor- 
monism,"  as  taught  in  the  school  books  of  the  district  schools 
of  Utah,  that  they  wanted  to  introduce  them  into  the  Meth- 
odist schools  [Applause],  that  their  pupils  might  all  be  made 
full-fledged  "Mormons"  [Applause].  This  exploded  the  sec- 
tarian theory  in  relation  to  the  district  schools  altogether — 
nothing  left  of  it  at  all — and  it  was  like  all  the  subterfuges  of 
the  conspirators — thin  as  air. 

Statements  have  frequently  been  made  to  the  effect  that  the 
school-houses  are  inadequate,  that  they  are  mere  hovels, 
which  is  not  true,  because  we  have  numerous  good  school- 
houses  and  efficient  teachers  in  the  community,  and  the  facil- 
ities for  education,  considering  the  age  of  the  Territory,  are 
commendable. 

There  was  recently  a  meeting  held  in  the  8th  Ward  to  con- 
sider the  advisability  of  erecting  a  school  house,  the  accommo- 
dation tfor  the  school  population  in  the  8th  district  being 
insufficient.  The  object  of  the  meeting  was  to  vote  on  a  tax 
to  provide  means  to  accomplish  the  object  in  view.  I  should 
have  supposed  that  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  or  so  before 
the  time  of  meeting  the  "liberal"  gentlemen  might  have  been 
seen  rushing  towards  the  place  of  meeting  with  their  hair 
streaming  in  the  wind  and  their  coat  tails  in  a  bee-line  behind 
them  in  order  that  they  might  get  there  in  good  time  to  vote 
'  'Aye' '  on  the  tax  question,  and  dig  deep  into  their  pockets  for 
the  shekels  to  help  build  a  new  school  house.  I  should  have 
supposed  that  they  would  be  in  such  a  hurry  to  vote  on  the 
question  that  they  could  hardly  be  held  back.  But  they  went 
there  and  voted  solid  for  "no  tax"  for  school  purposes. 
Grandly  consistent !  Their  position  on  this  question  is  like 
that  of  a  man  who  knocks  another  man  down,  puts  his  foot 
on  him,  presses  him  hard  down  upon  the  ground,  and  at  the 
same  time  shouts,  "Why  don't  you  get  up?"  [Applause.] 


AND  ITS  CA  USES.  35 

In  the  7th  Ward,  on  the  15th  instant,  a  similar  meeting 
was  held,  and  the  gentlemen  belonging  to  the  same  party 
["Liberal"]  were  out  in  force.  Strange  to  say  they  took  the 
same  position  as  in  the  8th  district.  And  there  was  there  in 
all  his  glory — not  a  member  of  the  district,  I  believe;  I  do 
not  know  exactly,  but  I  think  not— Judge  J.  R.  McBride,  the 
excellent  and  devout  Methodist  of  a  former  meeting.  In  his 
usual  truthful,  logical  and  consistent  style  he  warned  the 
people  that  only  certain  persons  could  vote  at  any  election. 
You  can  observe  the  consistency  and  force  of  the  remarks  of 
this  learned  gentleman,  seeing  that  the  meeting  was  not  con- 
vened for  election  purposes  at  all,  but  to  vote  on  the  question 
of  whether  there  should  be  a  tax  imposed  on  the  residents  of 
the  district  so  as  to  increase  its  educational  facilities.  Every 
one  on  the  anti-Mormon  side  of  the  fence  voted  uNo."  It  is 
necessary  to  formulate  another  argument,  now,  seeing  that  the 
sectarian  one  has  fallen  through,  and  it  was  furnished  by  Mr. 
0.  J.  Hollister,  ex-internal  revenue  collector  for  Utah.  He 
deposited  his  vote  on  that  occasion  on  the  "no  tax"  side  of 
the  question.  I  do  not  deal  with  private  matters.  I  deal  in 
public  affairs,  and  when  a  man  presents  himself  before  the 
public  in  a  public  capacity,  then  he  is  a  subject  for  manipu- 
lation on  the  public  rostrum.  I  will  give  you  this  new  reason, 
furnished  in  two  letters  published  subsequently  to  the  meeting 
in  the  Salt  Lake  Herald,  from  which  I  will  quote.  Listen  to 
what  this  gentleman  has  to  say.  Here  is  a  quotation  from  his 
communication  to  the  Herald  : 

"It  is  no  difference  what  is  taught  in  the  so-called  public 
schools  of  Utah  or  who  teaches.  The  Mormon  Church  main- 
tains and  teaches  practices  that  to  the  Gentiles  are  degrading 
and  corrupting.  There  is  no  social  interchange  between  Mor- 
mons and  Gentiles,  mainly  on  this  account.  If  this  is  the 
fact  as  regards  grown  people,  how  much  more  as  regards 
children  who  cannot  be  expected  to  have  much  wisdom  and 
who  are  so  easily  contaminated  and  corrupted." 

Here  is  the  reason,  that  by  the  association  of  Gentile  chil- 
dren with  *  'Mormon' '  children  the  former  become  corrupted 
by  the  intercourse  and  companionship  and  are  degraded. 
What  think  you  of  a  man  that  would  offer  a  premeditated 


36  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

cold-blooded  insult  not  only  to  every  parent  in  the  '  'Mormon" 
Church,  but  to  every  innocent  little,  toddling  child  in  that 
community?  What  is  the  substance  of  the  excuse  that  is 
offered?  It  is  this:  "I  am  holier  than  thou."  Mr.  Hollister 
reminds  me  of  a  character  in  sacred  history  presented  by  the 
Savior  as  an  illustration  of  the  different  qualities  of  the  peti- 
tions that  are  offered  to  the  throne  of  grace.  Do  you  re- 
member the  prayer  of  the  self-righteous  Pharisee? — "Lord  I 
thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men" — and  let  me  say  here, 
speaking  largely  for  other  men,  in  this  instance  they  are  equally 
thankful  for  the  difference.  [Applause.]  Another  argument 
was  made  by  that  gentlemen  on  the  same  occasion.  Here  is 
a  quotation  from  another  letter  of  his : 

'  'I  beg  to  reaffirm  the  statement  and  to  aver,  besides,  that 
the  Gentiles  have  paid  the  full  proportion  of  the  taxes  that 
have  built  and  that  run  the  Mormon  schools. 
The  reason  why  the  Grentiles  object  to  paying  special  school 
taxes  besides  the  above,  is  because  they  cannot  avail  them- 
selves of  any  advantage  therefrom. ' ' 

Here  he  attempts  to  class  the  "Gentiles"  as  anti-Mormons, 
by  assuming  that  they  all  feel  as  he  and  his  fellow-conspira- 
tors do.  That  is  the  usual  trick.  But  let  us  consider 
this  part  of  the  question:  the  Gentiles  have  paid  their 
proportion  of  the  taxes  for  these  purposes.  0.  J.  Hol- 
lister was  at  that  meeting,  and  so  was  the  tax  list,  so  I 
am  informed  by  the  gentleman  who  took  it r there.  And 
what  was  on  that  tax  list?  I  will  tell  you;  the  name  of  0.  J. 
Hollister  conspicuous  for  its  absence.  [Applause] .  This  is 
the  position  of  the  oracle  of  those  who  fight  the  school  tax. 

THE  MORALITY  SUBTERFUGE. 

The  "Mormons"  are  so  very  immoral  according  to  the  lies 
that  are  formulated  and  spread  abroad  to  further  the  interest 
of  the  conspiracy  under  the  popular  prejudice  that  they  may 
accomplish  their  purposes.  In  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune,  under 
date  of  March,  1881,  there  appeared  a  peculiar  article.  The 
editor  of  the  organ  of  the  conspirators  had  been  conversing 
with  a  gentleman  of  this  city  on  the  "Mormon"  question, 
and  this  gentleman  is  reported  in  the  article  as  stating  that 
he  rejoiced  to  see  the  youth  of  the  "Mormon"  community 


AND  ITS  CAUSES.  37 

visiting  drinking  saloons,  gambling  dens,  houses  of  ill- fame ; 
and  the  editor  in  commenting  on  the  remarks  of  this  so-called 
gentleman,  says:  "if  freedom  can  be  gained  without 
excesses,  so  much  the  better;  but  if  not,  gain  the  freedom, 
never  mind  the  excesses. ' '  And  this  from  the  men  who  would 
regenerate  the  "Mormon"  community.  What  think  you  of 
the  regenerators  of  Utah?* 

You  are  aware,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  I  have  spoken  in 
a  similar  strain  as  I  have  to-night  on  another  occasion,  quite 
recently,  and  I  have  in  consequence  been  roundly  abused  by 
the  organ  of  slander,  by  the  organ  of  the  conspirators;  but 
never  a  word  has  been  said  in  regard  to  my  statements.  None 
of  them  have  been  quoted  or  replied  to.  This  is  remarkable, 
because  that  newspaper  had  in  that  meeting  a  reporter.  But 
it  says:  "A  mentally  blasted  wretch,  a  mournful  appendage  of 
the  Deseret  News,  named  Nicholson  [laughter],  poured  out 
his  venom  in  the  12th  Ward."  Here  is  the  argument  with 
which  I  am  answered.  I  am  called  "a  mentally  blasted 
wretch."  [Laughter  and  applause.]  Ladies  and  gentlemen, 
look  upon  me  and  take  warning  [renewed  laughter  and  ap- 
plause], and  do  not  have  the  temerity  at  any  time  to  fall  upon 
the  Tribune  rock  and  get  broken  to  pieces  [applause] ;  for  do 
you  not  see  that  the  huge  boulder  is  likely  to  roll  over  me, 
and,  like  the  wheels  of  Juggernaut,  grind  me  to  powder? 
[Applause.]  I  have  been  called  names;  but  no  argument  has 
been  adduced.  I  have  been  called  "a  liar,"  an  "egregious 
ass"  [laughter]  and  other  things  too  numerous  to  mention; 
but  never  a  word  of  the  lecture.  You  are  capable  of  judging 
whether  I  am  "a  mentally  blasted  wretch"  or  not.  [Laughter] 
I  think  I  can  leave  the  verdict  in  your  hands. 

I  have  been  called,  among  other  things,  an  alien.  If  there 
ever  has  been  anything  that  I  have  prided  myself  upon  it  has 
been  my  birthplace,  for  I  was  born  on  this  planet.  I  know  no 
country  but  the  earth ;  and  I  know  no  people  but  those  who 
sustain  the  truth,  the  final  triumph  of  which  will  bring  about 
the  universal  brotherhood  of  man.  I  love  the  institutions  of 
this  country  as  I  love  my  life,  for  they  embody  the  principles 

* See  Appendix. 


38  THE  TENNESSEE  MASSACRE 

of  human  freedom ;  and  where  I  find  men  who  seek  by  in- 
famous, infernal  designs  to  crush  them  into  the  earth,  I  am 
willing  to  wear  myself  out  in  their  exposure.  [Loud  applause.] 
I  am  not  an  alien,  however;  I  am  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States.  [Applause.]  Here  is  the  certificate  [holding  it  up  in 
his  hand].  Another  truthful  statement  of  the  organ  of  the 
conspirators  nailed  to  the  counter ! 

I  have  shown  with  some  clearness  I  think — I  hope  you  will 
not  think  me  egotistical  if  I  say  so — that  the  "Mormons"  have 
been  defamed ;  that  members  of  the  community  have  been 
murdered  in  cold  blood  and  the  crime  has  been  palliated  by 
men  who  are  in  your  midst,  and  who  have  caused  lies  to  be 
spread  broadcast  throughout  the  country.  This  conspiracy 
has  endeavored  to  wipe  out  in  the  Territory  of  Utah  political 
and  religious  freedom,  that  a  small  minority  might  seize  the. 
reins  of  government,  and  despoil,  and  crush,  and  injure  an 
innocent  community.  I  denounce  these  as  crimes  against 
humanity;  and  I  charge  the  perpetrators  with  being  the  genu- 
ine agents  and  operators  of  "organized  crime"  in  Utah.  [Loud 
applause.] 

Thanking  you  for  the  kind  attention  which  you  have  given 
me,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  1  wish  you  all  a  very  good  night. 
[Loud  applause.  ] 

(A  vote  of  thanks  to  the  lecturer,  put  to  the  audience  by 
the  chairman,  Hon.  Wm,  Jennings,  was  carried  by  a  shout  of 
"Ayes"  that  seemed  to  shake  the  building.) 


AND  ITS  CAUSES. 


APPENDIX. 


PASSAGES   FROM    THE    FIRST 
LECTURE. 


IN  the  lecture  delivered  by  Mr.   Nicholson  in  the  Twelfth 
Ward  Assembly  Rooms,  on  September  15th,  the  following 
passages  occurred : 

THE  SLAVERY  HUMBUG. 

A  great  deal  has  been  said  about  the  "Mormons"  being  in  a 
condition  of  slavery  and  serfdom,  and  these  conspirators  have  a 
great  deal  of  spmpathy  for  them  on  that  account.  They  want 
to  make  them  free;  but  the  liberalizing  process  is  very  remarka- 
ble. They  want  to  make  them  free  by  taking  away  all  their 
political  rights,  and  give  them  another  kind  of  freedom — to  visit 
the  dens  of  infamy  that  have  been  established  here  and  nurtured 
by  them  under  the  protest  and  against  the  active  efforts  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  without  a  dissenting  voice  on  their  part.  That 
is  the  kind  of  freedom  they  want  to  introduce. 

But  let  us  see  how  much  freedom  there  is  when  you  come  to 
simmer  it  down  in  their  own  case.  There  was  a  man  who  took 
part  in  that  Methodist  religio-politico  meeting  held  on  the  7th  of 
May,  1882,  by  the  name  of  Jacob  S.  Boreman,  formerly  a  judge 
of  one  of  the  judicial  districts  of  this  Territory,  with  his  head- 
quarters at  Beaver.  There  was  brought  up  before  him  while  he 
acted  in  that  capacity  a  "Mormon,"  by  the  name  of  Alonzo 
Colton,  He  was  indicted  under  a  Territorial  statute  that  had  no 
reference  to  polygamy  whatever — a  Territorial  law  against 
lascivious  cohabitation — and  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  he  (Bore- 
man) knew  that  this  statute  had  no  application  to  the  case,  but 
that  it  ought  to  have  come  under  the  law  of  the  United  States 
against  bigamy  and  polygamy,  passed  by  Congress  in  1862,  that 


40  APPENDIX. 


man  was,  in  Jacob  S.  Boreman's  court,  convicted  under  the 
Territorial  law  that  had  no  application,  even  if  he  were  a  polyg- 
amist.  That  is  known  and  acknowledged  by  every  man  of  all 
shades  of  opinion.  It  would  be  so  admitted  universally  in  this 
community  to-day,  except,  perhaps,  by  the  honorable  gentleman 
himself.  Yet  he  placed  that  man  in  the  penitentiary  through 
his  bringing  his  Methodism  on  to  the  bench;  and  Colton  served 
out  a  term  of  five  years  on  a  conviction  brought  under  a  law  that 
had  no  application  to  the  case.  Colton's  brother-in-law  came  up 
to  this  city  some  time  after  his  incarceration.  I  met  him  several 
times.  He  drew  out  a  petition  for  his  release  on  the  ground  that 
he  (Mr.  Colton)  was  illegally  convicted  and  unlawfully  held  in 
custody;  that  his  conviction  and  imprisonment  were  an  outrage. 
I  saw  the  petition.  It  was  taken  to  certain  men  that  you  and  I 
know  perfectly  well — independent  men  who  breathe  the  air  of 
freedom  of  this  great  republic.  But  they  did  not  sign  it.  They 
stated  to  the  brother-in-law  of  Alonzo  Colton,  something  after 
the  language  used  to  the  "Mormons"  by  the  late  President  Mar- 
tin Van  Buren — "Your  cause  is  just,  but  I  can  do  nothing  for 
you."  They  said,  in  effect,  that  they  dared  not  affix  their  signa- 
tures to  that  paper  for  fear  of  the  Tribune  getting  after  them 
They  were  so  free  and  independent.  You  understand  the  bal- 
ance. I  could  give  you  the  names  of  those  parties,  but  I  do  not 
wish  to  be  too  personal.  This  is  the  freedom  enjoyed  by  the 
conspirators  against  the  peace  and  freedom  of  the  people  of 
Utah. 

In  fact  the  whip  of  the  conspirators,  through  their  organ  and 
the  medium  of  public  harangues,  has  been  constantly  cracked 
over  the  heads  of  decent  men  \vho  have  in  the  slightest  manner 
protested  against  their  outrageous  operations  against  the  "Mor- 
mons," until  they  haye  either  been  forced  into  line  or  into  a 
silence  under  which  they  have  chafed,  because  of  the  perpetual 
outrage  upon  their  ideas  of  fair  play.  And  yet  these  conspira- 
tors will  talk  of  freedom,  and  talk  with  spread-eagle  loftiness 
about  the  sweets  of  liberty. 

THE  MOKALITY  PLEA. 

Let  us  enquire  a  little  further  into  the  comparative  morality  of 
"Mormons"  and  non-Mormons,  as  exhibited  by  the  official  sta- 
tistics of  two  of  the  chief  cities  of  Utah.  In  the  year  1882  the 
total  number  of  arrests  made  in  Salt  Lake  City,  by  the  municipal 
police,  for  crimes  of  every  class,  was  1,640;  of  these  law-breakers 
446  were  "Mormons"  and  1,194  non-Mormons,  yet  the  latter  con- 


APPENDIX.  41 


stitute  but  one-fourth  of  the  population.  They  furnished,  how- 
ever, three-fourths  of  the  criminality.  In  1883  the  arrests 
amounted  to  1,609  in  all.  Only  150  were  "Mormons'7  and  the 
remaining  1,459  non-Mormons. 

Ogden  makes  a  still  more  striking  exhibit  in  the  same  direc- 
tion. In  1881  the  relative  population  was  85  per  cent.  "Mor- 
mons" to  15  per  cent.  non-Mormons.  The  arrests  numbered 
211.  Of  the  persons  arrested  21  were  "Mormons,"  the  remaining 
190  being  non-Mormons. 

In  1882  the  arrests  numbered  306,  the  relative  proportion  being 
22  "Mormons,"  to  284  non-Mormons. 

In  1883  the  arrests  footed  up  537,  with  a  score  of  74  for  ihe  law- 
less "Mormons"  and  463  for  the  non-Mormons.  In  the  last 
mnaed  year  the  proportion  of  "Mormons"'  in  the  population  was 
closely  estimated  at  71  per  cent.  "Mormons,"  leaving  29  per 
cent.  non-Mormons. 

These  figures  are  eloquent;  they  speak  in  thunder  tones,  ren- 
dering comments  upon  their  showing  superfluous. 

THE    KESPONSIBILITY. 

, 

I  might  refer  to  cases  of  mobbing,  and  driving,  and  murder 
that  have  been  the  direct  result  of  the  publication  of  false  state- 
ments formulated  by  men  in  this  city.  I  was  informed  but 
yesterday  by  Joseph  H.  Parry  that  \\hen  he  was  laboring  in  the 
Southern  States,  in  the  same  district  where  Joseph  Standing  was 
laboring,  that  the  cause  of  the  excitement  that  resulted  in  the 
death  of  the  latter,  was,  that  in  the  Journal  of  Education  were 
published  certain  averments  by  J.  M.  Coyner.  The  cue  was 
taken  from  these  statements  by  the  sectarian  preachers  of  that 
region;  those  preachers  by  anti-Mormon  harangues  worked  the 
people  into  such  a  frenzy  that  that  murder  was  the  result,  and 
the  blood  spots  of  Joseph  Standing  are  upon  the  skirts  of  J.  M, 
Coyner,  he  being,  according  to  Elder  Parry's  evidence,  one  of 
the  indirect  causes  of  that  foul  assassination. 


STATEMENT  OF  K.  G.  McNIECE.  ' 

"It  was  also  about  eighteen  months  ago  that  our  chapel  and 
school-building  in  Logan  was  set  on  fire.  Some  one  climbed  in 
at  the  window  and  having  poured  coal-oil  on  the  floor^set  it  on, 
fire.  The  fire  went  out;  but  the  next  morning  the  burn e$  floor 
and  the  mark  of  the  coal-oil  showed  too  plainly  that  the  purpose 
was  to  burn  the  building." 


42  APPENDIX. 


The  verified  facts : 

"LOGAN,  UTAH,  June  21,  1884. 
"Editor  Deseret  New$: 

"1  send  herewith  Sheriff  Crookston's  affidavit  regarding 
the  attempt  to  burn  the  Presbyterian  church.  Rev.  C.  M.  Parks, 
the  pastor,  has  made  to  me  personally  a  similar  statement.  Mr. 
Parks  says  he  will  call  on  you  on  Monday  next  and  repeat  it. 

"B.  F.  CUMMINGS,  JR." 

"Territory  of  Utah,  County  of  Cache,  Logan  Precinct,  on  this 
21st  day  of  June,  A.  D.,  1884,  personally  appeared  before  me,  B. 
F.  Cummings,  Jr..  a  justice  ot  the  peace  in  and  for  said  precinct, 
at  my  office  in  said  precinct,  Nicholas  W.  Orookston,  who,  being 
duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that  he  is  now  and  has  been  ever 
since  before  November,  A.*  D.  1882,  sheriff  of  Cache  County. 

"Said  N.  W.  Crookston  further  deposes  and  says,  'On  the  morn- 
ing of  .December  1st,  A.  D.,  1882,  I  was  notified  that  an  attempt 
to  burn  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Logan  had  been  made  during 
the  previous  night.  1  went  to  the  church  with  County  Attorney 
Maughan.  Found  a  quantity  of  kindling  wood  saturated  with 
coal-oil  on  the  floor  of  the  bell  tower.  The  wood  had  evidently 
been  thrown  there  through  a  window  and  the  coal-oil,  afterwards 
found  on  it,  from  the  window,  and  a  lighted  match  dropped  in 
on  it.  A  bench  used  as  a  seat  was  charred,  the  carpet  covering 
on  it  was  burned  and  some  of  the  kindling  wood  was  also  char- 
red. Rev.  O.  M.  Parks,  pastor  of  the  churchv  told  me  that  on  the 
previous  evening  there  had  been  an  entertainment  in  the  church, 
being  Thanksgiving  evening;  that  one,  Wm.  Buder,  came  to  tne 
entertainment  drunk,  and  that  he  (Parks)  asked  him  to  leave, 
but  he  (Buder)  would  not,  and  that  he  (Parks)  then  put  him  out 
by  force,  and  that  Buder  then  threatened  to  get  even  with  him 
(Parfcs). 

"'The  kindling  wood  had  been  split  off  from  round  blocks 
sawed  from  a  log.  I  took  three  pieces  of  the  kindling  and  fitted 
two  of  them  into  a  block  which  I  found  in  Buder's  yard.  The 
way  the  pieces  fitted,  the  curve  of  the  grain,  the  length  and  the 
kind  of  wood,  all  proved  positively  that  the  two  pieces  I  fitted 
had  been  split  off  "from  the  log  in  Buder's  yard,  While  I  was 
fitting  the  piece  on  the  block  Buder  came  to  me,  took  hold  of  me 
and  told  me  to  'let  that  wood  alone.'  He  seemed  to  be  very 
much  alarmed. 

"In  the  month  of  June,  A.  D.  1883,  Buder  was  in  jail.  I  was 
his  jailor,  I  told  him  he  had  better  leave  town,  and  that  there 
was  proof  that  he  had  tried  to  burn  the  Presbyterian  church. 
In  reply  he  said  "the  church  didn't  burn,  but  I'll  get  even  with 
Parks  before  I  leave  town.'"  N.  W.  CROOKSTON. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  21st  day  of  June,  A. 
D.  1883. 

B.  F.  CUMMINGS,  Jr., 
Justice  of  the  Peace. 


THE  OLD  STYLE. 

To-day  we  print  a  verbatim  report  of  an  address  delivered   by 
Bishop  West  at  Juab  on  the  9th  inst.,  as  forwarded  by  a  friend. 


APPENDIX.  43 


It  reads  like  the  old-day  Tabernacle  harangues,  and  the  devout 
brethren  and  sisters  of  the  former  time  would  have  warmly  en- 
joyed and  commended  it  as  being  ''full  of  the  sperret,"  indeed, 
we  are  not  sure  but  away  down  deep  in  their  hearts  they  will 
approve  it  now.  It  is  a  very  violent  harangue,  full  of  bitter  ma- 
lice and  the  usual  untruths  of  the  fanatics  when  they  undertake 
to  deal  with  subjects'  wherein  they  are  opposed.  The  common 
dreary  twaddle  of  exclusive  holiness  and  a  monopoly  of  honesty 
is  disgustingly  paraded  by  this  dishonest  parasite  in  behalf  of  a 
set  of  rogues  whose  crimes,  peculations,  public  and  private, 
robberies  and  unblushing  piracies  are  the  amazement  of  every 
one  who  has  had  to  do  with  the  facts.  No  spot  in  the  Mormon 
administration,  from  the  tithing  yards  to  the  county  and  Terri- 
torial treasuries  could  bear  the  light  of  day.  Elder  West's  main 
insistance  was,  in  plain  words,  that  it  was  the  command  of  the 
Lord,  communicated  through  Joseph  Smith,  "the  martyr,"  in  a 
vision,  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  month,  to  'himself 
(West),  that  Governor  Murray  must  be  assassinated,  and  that 
his  successor  must  in  like  manner  be  "removed,"  until  the  Gen- 
tiles were  faint  with  terror,  and  let  the  Saints  alone  to-  manage 
"their  own  kingdom"  in  their  own  way.  Of  course  the  howling 
of  such  a  noisy  blatherskite  in  that  vein  simply  means  that  he  is 
filled  with  a  murderous  hate,  but  is  too  cowardly  to  himself  to  do 
the  deed  he  undertakes  to  spur  others  up  to  commit.  There  is  no 
danger  from  him,  and  even  in  the  worst  times  the  brethren  had 
top  much  discretion  and  wholesome  fear  of  the  consequencies  to 
undertake  any  such  villainous  programme.  In  former  years 
Elder  West  would,  however,  have  been  sure  of  promotion  in  the 
church  for  his  efforts,  especially  if  they  had  been  well  kept  up, 
for  the  sect  in  its  wretched  development  of  Brighamism  has  need 
of  such  tools.  He  starts  in  too  late  in  the  day,  however,  and  will 
neither  win  cross/which  he  might  have  won  in  Jackson  county, 
Missouri,  nor  crown,  which  he  might  have  gained  during  the 
fanatical  "reformation' *  which  led  up  to  the  Mountain  Meadow 
massacre. 

As  this  notorious  fabrication  has  created  considerable  interest^ 
on  account  of  the  murderous  mischief  it  has  created,  it  is  here 
published  in  full,  as  it  appeared  in  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune  of 
March  15th  1884  together  with  a  refutation  of  it  from  the  pen  of 
George  Teasdale. 

A  KED-HOT  ADDRESS. 

(From  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune.) 

Stenograph ical  report  of  Bishop  West's  harangue  in  the  Juab 
school-house,  Sunday,  March  9th,  1884.  Reported  by  Tobias 
Tobey  for  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune. 

Juab,  Utah,  March  9th. 

It  is  time,  my  brothers  and  sisters,  that  we  ceased  this  cowardly 
silence  and  humble  submission  to  the  rulings  and  machinations 
of  the  devil  and  his  fiery  imps  at  the  capitol  of  this  God-forsaken 
Gentile  government;  and  it  is  time  for  us  to  fling  their  defiance 
and  scurrilous  domination  back  in  their  faces.  We  are  the  elect 


APPENDIX. 


of  Christ,  and  the  day  of  judgment  is  at  hand,  and  it's  our  turn 
then  if  it  isn't  now,  which  I  say  it  is.  When  Gabriel  sounds  his 
trumpet  on  that  awful  day,  the  Gentile  hellhounds  will  find  the 
Saints  of  God  have  got  all  the  front  seats  reserved,  and  that  they 
can't  find  standing  room  for  themselves  in  the  gallery.  The 
cause  is  flourishing  in  the  Juab  Stake  of  Zion,  and  many  souls 
are  being  daily  rescued  from  the  flames  of  heathenism.  If  I 
had  my  way  not  a  house  would  be  left  standing  which  sheltered 
a  knavish  Gentile.  They  are  eyesores  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord 
and  His  vengeance  is  sure  to  come.  They  persecute  His  Saints 
and  He  has  commanded  them  to  destroy  their  persecutors.  He 
has  commanded  the  Saints  to  rid  the  earth  of  the  sin-besmudged 
heretic.  He  has  revealed  unto  us  the  foundation  of  the  Gentile 
Church  that  it  is  the  devil.  (II  Nephi  ch.  4,  verse  xx.)  Hell  is 
filled  with  the  scurrilous  Gentiles  and  the  floors  of  hell  are 
paved  with  the  skulls  of  apostates.  He  who  kills  a  Gentile  rids 
the  earth  of  a  serpent  and  adds  a  star  to  his  own  crown.  The 
Saints  are  gathering  together  from  sea  to  sea  and  they  will  rise 
in  their  awful  might  and  fall  upon  the  enemies  of  Zion.  Let  the 
tabernacles  resound  with  joyful  voices  for  the  fulfillment  of  the 
prophpcies  of  Moroni  are  at  hand.  The  minions  of  the  devil 
are  set  loose  in  our  midst  by  the  crime  soaked  politicians  who 
rule  our  land.  The  shades  of  the  sainted  martyr  Smith  call 
aloud  for  vengeance  at  the  hands  of  his  followers.  The  blood  of 
the  Gentile  persecutors  shall  be  spilled  on  their  own  thresholds  to 
appease  the  anger  of  our  prophet.  Tune  the  lyre  and  beat  the 
cymbals;  for  our  revenge  is  now  at  hand.  We  will  wipe  out  the 
scum  of  the  Washington  blood  suckers  and  the  high  priest  of 
the  devil  who  assumes  to  rule  in  our  very  midst  shall  be  cut  off 
with  a  sharp  instrument.  The  thieving  Murray  issues  orders  to 
the  Saints  of  God,  and  defies  every  one  but  the  devil,  who  is 
his  sponsor.  His  head  will  be  placed  upon  the  walls  of  our  city  and 
his  entrails  scattered  throughout  the  street  of  Zion,  that  every 
Gentile  adventurer  may  behold  and  take  a  care  that  we  are  left 
to  pursue  our  road  to  Paradise  unmolested.  Our  strength  is 
greater  than  the  world  believes  and  our  will  is  powerful  and 
undaunted  by  heretic  menaces.  The  Lord  is  our  shepherd  and 
we  cannot  fail.  The  red  man  is  our  firm  ally  and  he  thirsts  for 
the  blood  of  the  enemy  of  Zion.  We  are  powerful  and  unassail- 
able in  our  mountain  home  and  we  will  roll  the  massive  boulders 
of  destruction  down  from  the  mountain  tops  upon  the  heads  of 
the  unregenerate.  Our  secret  places  are  stored  with  crafty  explo- 
sives with  which  we  will  surely  destroy  the  strongholds  of  the 
government  of  Satan.  Our  young  men  are  drilling  for  the 
conflict,  and  pur  wives  and  daughters  are  making  themselves 
ready  to  minister  to  our  wants,  and  the  day  is  close  at  hand. 
Let  the  Gentile  leeches  and  poltroons  beware  and  win  our  for- 
bearance, if  yet  they  may.  The  Lord  is  sorely  angered  at  our 
persecutors,  and  He  has  said  to  our  counselors  in  a  vision  that 
He  will  deliver  our  enemy  into  our  hands  as  He  delivered  Laban 
into  the  hands  of  Nephi.  He  will  visit  the  earth,  through  us, 
with  a  worse  destruction  than  He  did  in  the  days  of  the  flood, 
and  the  ungodly  will  bite  the  dust  with  rage,  and  their  blood 
will  flow  in  the  streets  of  Zion  even  as  much  as  the  waters  in  the 


APPENDIX.  45 


day  of  Noah.  Behold,  I  declare  unto  you,  all  ye  Saints  who 
revere  the  memory  of  the  Prophets,  that  you  must  begin  to  gird 
up  your  loins  and  whet  your  knives.  Let  the  religious  fervor  of 
the  Saints  who  are  dead  and  gone  recur  to  your  weaker  spirits 
and  fire  you  with  the  zeal  of  the  destroying  angels.  Eli  Murray 
is  the  Cain  of  our  generation.  He  hates  our  people  and  he 
"works  for  our  destruction  that  he  may  win  for  himself  a  reputa- 
tion of  valor  among  the  ungodly.  He  is  a  damned  scoundrel, 
and  a  pestiferous  leper.  He  is  the  polluted  scum  of  corruption. 
He  reeks  with  ungodliness,  and  he  is  rotten  with  heresy.  I  com- 
mand every  true  disciple  of  Christ  to  watch  out  for  this  damned 
Yankee  interloper,  and  ye  know  that  there  is  protection  enough 
for  you  in  Zion  if  ye  kill  the  whole  Gentile  race.  Lnst  night,  as 
I  lay  in  my  bed  thinking  over  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  and 
possessed  of  a  strange  restlessness,  and  praying  the  while  for 
inspiration  from  the  Most  High,  that  I  might  see  the  way  more 
clearly  to  a  sure  release  of  my  brethren  from  bondage,  behold  a 
great  and  glorious  light  suddenly  filled  my  apartment  with  a 
glow  brighter  than  the  sun.  I  was  at  first  afraid,  snd  inclined 
strongly  tojeap  from  my  bed  and  flee.  But  of  a  sudden  I  heard 
a  voice  which  caused  my  heart  to  beat  with  tumultuous  joy,  for 
it  was  that  of  Joseph  Smith.  I  gazed  at  him  earnestly,  expect- 
ing and  hanging  on  the  words  which  should  perchance  fall  from 
his  lips,  and  I  beheld  that  his  garments  were  of  a  dazzling  white- 
ness, and  that  his  skin  was  of  a  dazzling  and  heavenly  whiteness, 
save  the  blood-red  spots  and  livid  wounds  where  the  bullets  of 
the  cursed  Gentiles  had  entered  his  sainted  body,  and  which 
were  now  visible  to  their  eternal  damnation,  as  w<-re  the  marks 
of  the  nails  which  pierced  the  hands  and  feet  of  Christ.  Joseph 
spoke  to  me  in  a  voice  of  wondrous  sweetness  blended  with 
strains  of  the  direst  severity  when  he  spoke  of  the  fate  in  store 
for  those  Saints  who  neglected  what  he  should  now  command 
them.  Joseph  bade  me  to  cast  my  eyes  about  and  behold  the 
presence  in  the  midst  of  the  Saints  of  an  emissary  of  the  devil. 
It  was  the  will  of  the  Most  High  that  this  man  should  be  removed, 
and  if  other  emissaries  were  chosen  to  fill  his  place,  even  as  many 
as  were  so  chosen  should  be  similarly  dealt  with.  If  allowed  to 
remain  in  our  midst,  the  sin  would  be  on  our  heads,  for  it  was 
the  command  of  the  Most  High  God  of  Abraham  and  Isaac.  It 
lay  in  our  power  to  be  our  own  rulers,  and  our  cowardice  was 
the  cause  of  sore  distress  to  the  departed  Saints  who  had  left  us 
a  kingdom.  Eli  H.  Murray  was  possessed  of  a  devil,  and  had 
only  the  outward  semblance  of  a  man.  He  should  and  must  be 
trod  upon  until  his  bowels  gushed  out  in  the  streets.  The  incar- 
nate fiend  lurked  invisibly  behind  his  hellish  disciple,  and  was 
intent  upon  the  destruction  of  Zion.  The  time  was  short,  and 
vigorous  and  immediate  action  premptory  The  curses  of  eternal 
damnation  awaited  those  who  failed  in  this  holy  mission.  The 
work  must  not  stop  at  the  destruction  of  one  of  these  hell-hounds, 
these  Erebus-like  pestilences  in  the  folds  of  the  anointed,  but 
must  extend  even  to  the  farthermost  corners  of  the  earth,  until 
every  heretic  out  of  hell  was  sent  home,  and  the  Latter-day 
Saints  were  rulers  of  the  land.  Much  more  the  beloved  Joseph 
said  to  me  which  I  am  commanded  not  to  reveal  unto  you  until 


46  APPENDIX. 


you  prove  the  sincerity  of  your  faith  and  love  for  the  prosperity 
of  Zion  from  what  has  already  been  revealed.  The  direst  plagues 
shall  be  immediately  visited  upon  you  and  your  children  if  these 
divine  commands  go  unheeded.  1  call  upon  you  who  sit  there 
trembling  in  your  seats  to  beware,  and  to  rise  in  your  strength 
and  win  your  crown.  Let  every  Saint  in  Zion  be  present  at  the 
meeting  in  this  building  on  Sunday  next  at  this  hour,  and  I  will 
discourse  further  upon  these  matters  which  I  baye,  for  wise  rea- 
sons, kept  from  you  during  the  day  up  to  this  minute.  The  Lord 
bless  you.  Amen. 


THE  FOUL  LIBEL  KEFUTED. 

NEPHI,  JUAB  Co.,  TJ.  T. 

March  18,  1884. 
Editor  Deseret  News: 

Please  pardon  me  for  refprring  to  a  sheet  published  in 
your  city,  called  the  "Salt  Lake  Tribune,,"  although  I  do  not 
presume  that  it  is  sustained  by  any  respectable  person  in  this 
Territory  where  it  has  so  unenviable  a  reputation;  still  it  may  be 
sent  abroad  and  fall  into  the  hands  of  some  simple-minded  per- 
sons who  might  perhaps  be  deluded  into  the  impression  that  it 
was  a  truthful  sheet,  or  reliable  authority.  Not  that  I  think  for 
a  moment  that  any  sane  person  would  be  so  woefully  deceived. 
I  wish  to  refer  to  a  manufactured  sensational  piece  in  the  issue 
of  Sunday  the  16th  inst..  that  has  been  called  to  my  attention, 
headed  a  "Ked-Hot  Address;"  also  a  short  editorial  on  the  sub- 
ject in  which  the  truthful  (?)  editor  states  it  had  been  "forwarded 
by  a  friend. "  O,  tempore!  O,  mores!  It  purports  to  be  a  "sten- 
Ographical  report  of  Bishop  West's  harangue  in  the  Juab  school- 
house,  Sunday  March  9,  1884,  reported  by  'Tobias  Tobey'  for  the 
Salt  Lake  Tribune."  Then  follows  an  address  which  charity 
would  suggest  had  been  written  by  an  insane  person  or  worse, 
the  offspring  of  a  dreadfully  corrupt  heart,  a  miserable  disgrace 
to  the  genus  homo,  worthy  only  to  rise  to  "shame'  and  everlast- 
ing contempt." 

Now,  the  facts  are  these:  It  is  all  a  gross  fabrication,  Juab 
is  a  small  town  occupied  by  hotel  and  boarding  house  keepers,  a 
store  or  two  and  the  railroad  hands;  there  is  a  small  branch  of 
the  Church,  presided  over  by  Elder  James  Wilson,  who  is  very 
much  respected,  but  no  bishop.  On  the  Sunday  referred  to  there 
had  been  a  wash-out  and  all  the  hands  were  busy,  so  that  there 
was  no  meeting  held  on  that  day;  and  as  far  as  the  "Bishop 
West"  is  concerned,  there  is  no  such  bishop  there  or  in  the  "Mor- 
mon" Church,  and  who  "Tobias  Tobey"  is  no  one  knows. 

I  have  been  requested  to  inform  you  of  these  facts,  and  kindly 
request  that  you  will  waive  any  feeling  of  dislike  you  may  have 
to,  in  any  way,  refer  to  the  existence  of  such  a  sheet,  for  the 
sake  of  our  young  Elders  on  missions,  who  might  perchance 
meet  with  this  shockingly  vile  fabrication. 

Very  Eespectfully, 

GEORGE  TEASDALE. 


APPENDIX.  47 


WHAT  UTAH  WANTS. 

The  Salt  Lake  Tribune  of  March  6th,  1881,  had  an  editorial 
headed,  "What  Utah  Wants,"  from  which  we  make  the  following 
extracts : 

"Apropos  of  the  new  and  petty  war  recently  started  by  the 
municipal  government  on  the  women  of  the  town,  the  liquor 
dealers  and  the  gambling  fraternity,  one  of  the  'enemy'  said  to 
us  the  other  day:  'It  may  be  a  hard  thing  to  say,  and  perhaps 
harder  still  to  maintain,  but  I  believe  that  billiard  halls,  saloons 
and  houses  of  ill-fame  are  more  powerful  reforming  agencies 
here  in  Utah  than  churches  and  schools,  or  even  than  the 
Tribune.  What  the  youug  Mormons  want  is  to  be  freed.  So  long 
as  they  are  slaves,  it  matters  not  much  to  what  or  to  whom,  they 
are  and  they  can  be  nothing.  Your  churches  are  as  enslaving 
as  the  Mormon  Church.  Your  party  is  as  bigoted  and  intolerant 
as  the  Mormon  party.  At  all  events  I  rejoice  when  I  see  the 
young  Mormon  hoodlums  playing  billiards,  getting  drunk, 
running  with  bad  women — anything  to  break  the  shackles  they 
were  born  in,  and  that  every  so-called  religious  or  virtuous 
influence  only  makes  the  stronger.  Some  of  them  will  go  quite 
to  the  bad,  of  course,  but  it  is  better  so, .  for  they  are  made  of 
poor  stuff,  and  since  there  is  no  good  reason  why  they  were 
begun  for  let  them  soon  be  done  for,  and  the  sooner  the  better. 
Most  of  them,  however,  will  soon  weary  of  vice  and  dissipation, 
and  be  all  the  stronger  for  the  knowledge  of  it  and  of  its  vanity. 
At  the  very  least  they  will  be  free,  and  it  is  of  such  vital 
consequence  that  a  man  should  be  free,  that  in  my  opinion  his 
freedom  is  cheaply  won  at  the  cost  of  some  familiarity  with  low 
life.  And  while  it  is  not  desirable  in  itself,  it  is  to  me  tolerable, 
because  it  appears  to  offer  the  only  inducement  strong  enough  to 
entice  men  out  of  slavery  into  freedom.' 

So  far,  the  Tribune's  pretended  quotation.  Now  for  its  own 
comments,  in  the  same  article: 

'''Freedom  is  the  first  requisite  of  manhood,  and  if  it  can  be 
won  without  excesses  so  much  the  better.  If  it  can't,  never  mind 
the  excesses,  win  the  freedom.  It  is  not  you  who  are  responsi- 
ble, when  it  comes  to  that;  it  is  those  who  have  enslaved  you. 
Who  is  the  national  hero  of  the  yeomanry  of  England  but  Kobin 
Hood,  'waging  war  against  the  men  of  law,  against  bishops  and 
archbishops,  whose  sway  was  so  heavy;  generous,  moreover; 
giving  a  poor,  ruined  knight  clothes,  horse  and  money  to  buy 
back  the  land  he  had  pledged  to  a  rapacious  Abbott;  compas- 


48  APPENDIX. 


sionate,  too,  and  kind  to  the  poor,  enjoining  his  men  not  to  injure 
yeomen  and  laborers,  but  above  all  rash,  bold,  proud,  who  would 
go  to  draw  his  bow  before  the  sheriff's  eyes  and  to  his  face;  ready 
with  blows,  whether  to  give  or  take.' 

*  #  #  #  *  * 

"Read  the  first  chapter  of  Book  Two  of  Taine's  English 
Literature,  if  you  would  see  what  ails  Utah,  and  what  it  needs 
as  a  medicament." 

"To  vent  the  feelings,  to  satisfy  the  heart  and  eyes,  to  set  free 
boldly  on  all  the  roads  of  existence,  the  pack  of  appetites  and 
instincts,  this  was  the  craving  which  the  manners  of  the  time 
betrayed.  It  was  'merry  England,'  as  they  called  it  then.  It 
was  not  yet  stern  and  constrained.  It  expanded  widely,  freely, 
and  rejoiced  to  find  itself  so  expanded." 

-#-  •£  #-  #  # 

"Let  the  people  of  Utah  rise  out  of  the  dust,  stand  upright, 
inquire  within,  lean  on  themselves,  look  about  them,  and  try  in 
a  large  way  to  be  men,  as  they  were  born  to  be.  Let  them  know 
nobody  more  puissant  than  themselves.  What  is  a  game  of 
billiards,  a  glass  of  beer,  a  cup  of  coffee,  cigar,  or  other  petty 
vice,  in  the  span  of  a  strong  human  life,  filled  with  endeavor  in 
the  right  direction?  The  Territory,  like  the  rest  of  the  land,  is 
still  in  in  its  infancy,  still  in  the  pulp  of  babyhood.  It  has  yet 
to  be  made.  There  is  work  for  men,  whose  first  and  last  quality 
is  strength,  manliness.  The  day  of  trifles,  and  of  crouching 
and  cowardice,  of  criminal  surrender  to  the  first  howling  dervish 
who  calls  himself  a  priest  and  presumes  to  speak  in  the  name  of 
the  Almighty,  has  lasted  long  enough.  Let  a  new  era  dawn  in 
which  men  shall  dare  to  be  men." 


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